


I'd Let You Choke Me to Death, But You Wouldn't

by VicenteValtieri



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Ageplay, Child play, Hux can be nice, Innocence, Kylo isn't nice, M/M, The Slender Hyaline, Thrawn's a sith, at the same time sickeningly sweet, bdsm badasses, cinnamon roll and steel hand love, force misuse, heir to the empire, messed up stuff, thrawn is nice, vanilla soft sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-12 17:24:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 73
Words: 22,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7942900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VicenteValtieri/pseuds/VicenteValtieri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ren keeps Hux in the worst way, but a necessary alliance with Palpatine's son forces him to release the general, at least for the time being...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Entendre

"Shhh..." Kylo shushed his General. "You're stronger than this. Man up." His words always had bite to them, worse because they were true.

"It hurts, Kylo. I don't think..." Hux protested, trying to push him away. "I'm tired..."

"I said, 'Man UP."

So he swallowed his protests. He couldn't be seen as weak for enduring it, right?

 

Snoke's proclamation, that the young General be offered in marriage to Emperor Palpatine's reclusive and powerful son was not met with joy.

Kylo shook Hux awake in the bindings. "Stay with me!"

Hux was near breaking point. "Kylo... I know I have to leave tomorrow, but I need to sleep..."

"If you feel anything for me at all, stay with me." Kylo slid back into him, preparation of any kind unnecessary at this point. "I want you to remember this. I want you to be sore on your wedding night. When he takes you, I want you to think of me."

Hux groaned, eyes rolling manically.

"And, when I'm stronger, I'll take you back from him and smear his blood all across the decks of his beloved ship."

The General gave a strange cry and passed out entirely.


	2. Deference

Hux slept most of the flight and could barely put himself in order to meet his betrothed at the rendezvous. Ren hadn't been lying about him being sore. He was in pain all over.

He and Ren went to the hangar to greet the last of the Grand Admirals personally.

Ren was bristling with rage, but he would never go against Snoke's will directly.

At last, three shuttles set down in the hanger, troopers filing out of each one to join in the escorting battalions already arranged in the hangar. Hux drew himself straight against the pain in his lower back.

He could feel Ren smirking.

From the middle shuttle, a few officers poured and then out stepped the heir to Palpatine's Empire. Thrawn himself.

Hux nearly held his breath. Thrawn was perfectly neat, controlled, and in every way a superb figure.

Ren could doubtless sense his admiration and surprise. He slouched further and emanated indignified rage.

Thrawn ignored Ren entirely, actually bowing deeply to Hux and taking his hand to kiss. "Armitage Hux."

"Grand Admiral Thrawn." Hux murmured. He was a gentleman then. He could get used to being treated with courtesy and deference.

Ren definitely sensed that.


	3. Vengeance

Kylo dragged Hux into an abandoned conference room to have his way with him.

"Don't think I didn't see it. You admiring him. I saw. I felt it."

Hux grunted in mixed pain and pleasure. "Kylo, I need to rest. You've made me yours so many times..."

"And once more to make sure." Kylo tossed Hux away from him. "For all your prejudice, you actually feel attracted to an alien bastard."

"Palpatine's alien bastard." Hux ground out, the insult falling flat in the face of Thrawn's trump card.

Say what you would about Darth Vader, Palpatine had been the Dark Lord of the Sith until the day he died. 

Kylo growled, falling to his knees before Hux. He kissed him nearly senseless and let him fall back against the wall. "Remember whose you are."

Hux didn't answer, falling asleep.


	4. Enamored

Hux still has a sharply painful reminder of Kylo when he and Thrawn meet again later that evening.

Thrawn has a strange creature wrapped around his shoulders. It purrs and hums occasionally. "Forgive my pet. I wondered if you might like to meet her."

Hux reaches out to pet the odd thing as Thrawn holds it out on one arm. "What is it?"

"An Ysalamiri. They are a sessile, tree-dwelling race of creatures, quite gentle when tamed. They also happen to suppress the Force to the point that most cannot access it."

Hux glanced at the ornate lightsaber swinging at Thrawn's side. "I would think that counter-productive to your own talents, Admiral."

"Ah, but there you are wrong. My father spent decades developing a technique to subvert their ability." He placed the creature on a frame nearby. "So, I am quite unimpaired, no matter how many I surround myself with."

"I see. That makes them quite useful, then." Hux admired the creature out of the corner of one eye. He wouldn't mind some for his own ship.

"I have a few other animals, but none I would consider pets." He sat down on a small couch and reached under a table to bring out a box. "This is for you. Why don't you sit with me?"

Hux sat down on the other end of the couch, remembering Ren's warning that he was still Ren's no matter what claim Thrawn had. "Thank you. I- I'm afraid I have no gifts for you. This betrothal has been rather a shock..." And he didn't know if he had been expected to bring gifts.

"Worry not, Armitage. I expected no presents. I merely wished to bring you one." He held out the box, which Hux noticed had air holes, and was making a purring sound.

Hux opened the box to find a small creature vaguely shaped like an onion, purring. It was little larger than his doubled fist and extremely light.

"A voorpak. A common pet on Naboo, which I consider my homeworld." Thrawn folded his hands. "Well? What do you think?"

Hux was taken aback by the question. Were Thrawn Ren, there would be no need to ask. Yet, here was a Force user obviously more powerful than Ren and he asked Hux's opinion. "Are you not able to lift thoughts from others' minds?"

"Quite able." Thrawn settled back into the couch. "But it is quite rude, don't you think?"

And of course, he was right. "Yes, I do. It's quite rude." Hux cuddled the creature. "I love it. What's its name?"

"Millie, short for Millicent, but feel free to call it what you wish." Thrawn smiled. "Does Ren give you such gifts?"

Hux's heart froze. "I beg pardon?"

"Does Ren give you gifts?" Thrawn was leaning on one hand now, watching him closely. A deadly look in his eyes warns Armitage not to lie.

"No." Hux looked away. "Ren has given me next to nothing."

"I see. And yet, you allowed him to be with you rather violently this afternoon."

"He didn't force me."

"No, but he did coerce you." Thrawn countered. "Under the circumstances, I think it fair that you be moved to my ship and our departure for Naboo be moved up a notch to tomorrow."

Hux slumped slightly forwards. He had been dreading leaving the beautiful Finalizer. His lovely firebird. Millie cooed sadly, perhaps picking up on his emotions through his scents. "I have no right to protest."

"Of course you do."

It was the last thing Hux expected to hear. "What?"

"You have every right to protest, but one. Engaged to me, you should have ended your congress with Kylo Ren. Still, you may refuse me. I will see to it that you face no consequences. If you are not ready to have a life mate, I will not force you."

Hux felt a hysterical giggle rise in his throat. He suppressed it with difficulty. "I should have been married years ago."

"Should you? To my eyes, you are a babe in arms yet, but I am going on one hundred." Thrawn admitted, humorously. 

Hux shook his head. "That's impossible."

"Oh? I was born long before the Old Republic fell. I will live long after the New one falls. If I have my way, we will live, but only if you permit it." Thrawn stood. "I think you should go to your bed. If you will, we leave in the morning."


	5. Death of a Sweet

"He's trying to steal you from me." Kylo pressed Hux into a wall. "He's going to take you away and secret you somewhere."

Hux nearly choked out before Kylo released him. Millie was squeaking somewhere above him in fear. "He's to be my husband: He has the right to object to you." He coughed.

"He's going to make you his whore. Don't be fooled by him. I will save you, somehow."

Hux thinks to himself that Thrawn was no more likely to make Hux a whore than Ren was to calm down and accept that this was the way of the world. He was not the kind of man.

Kylo crushed something in his fist, something fragile that squishes between his fingers.

Hux crawls to a wall and pulls himself to his feet. "If I am to be saved, may it be soon." He staggers out of his stripped quarters and away down the halls to collapse in a closet. It is there that Thrawn finds him, coming to retrieve his betrothed.

Hux woke in hyperspace, Thrawn near his bedside. A soothing medical droid hovered nearby.

Thrawn looked up almost as soon as Hux opened his eyes. "Armitage. You're awake."

Hux has never liked his first name before, but the way Thrawn strokes the word with his voice... It's an impossible change, like a whole other set of sounds, like music. "Yes, Admiral." His voice sounds rough and sore.

"What happened? I sensed Ren... doing things to you. You weren't frightened at first, but then Millie was in great pain and dead and you were in the corridors."

"Did you come to save me?"

"I did. I summoned the officers who were to accompany you and we left."

"Ren will destroy my ship." Hux moaned.

"I will see that she is reborn then, if she means so much to you." Thrawn stood up. "Being Emperor is difficult. I will rejoin you later. Until then, make yourself comfortable. One of your officers has been most anxious for your health and safety."

"Is it Mitaka?" Hux guessed.

"The one that inexplicably makes everyone he encounters think of cinnamon rolls? Yes, I believe so." He opened the door and the poor lieutenant leapt through it.


	6. Aurora

Naboo was a beautiful planet, seeming unbothered by the Imperial vessels. In fact, no one was. The Naboo, by and large, ignored them.

Hux was grateful. The last thing he needed was to be stared at.

Thrawn was explaining his arrangements. "We will be quartered separately, of course, but not too far from each other. You at the finest hotel in Theed, I at the palace. There will be weekly dinners for us to attend, but for the most part there are many things to do before the wedding. You needn't help, if it would please you more to do something else, but I would be grateful."

Hux nods. He can do this. "I can spare the time. There will be work for me to do, of course..." He trailed off, wondering if Thrawn wouldn't want him to focus entirely on their marriage.

"Naturally. I will help where I can, of course, but I leave it entirely to you." He worked a ring off one finger and handed it to Hux. "Do as you will. But... one caveat. Do not wear white, please. I understand that in some cultures it is a tradition, but it will do nothing for you but wash you out."

Hux's jaw dropped. He knew that would have had to come up, he had been dreading it. It was traditional on Naboo for a couple to wear white when being married. He had the strange urge to hug the towering man in front of him. "Thank you. I didn't want to wear white, but... thank you."

Thrawn smiled, standing straight. "We will be doing things my way much of the time, but the wedding day is yours, if nothing else is."

Hux was relieved. He was in control, assigned a task, and not going to be useless. 

If Thrawn ever saw him as a useless gift offered without zest, he would prove him wrong. He would impress this living legend if he had to work for eighteen out of twenty four hours.


	7. Reticule

Hux shook his head as he tasted the cake. "No, no fondant. None at all. I hate it. Why do you insist on it?" He pushed away the cake sample.

The baker, whose every creation had fondant, apparently, huffed. "It is an elegant part of Nubian tradition-"

"Shut up." Thrawn ordered quietly. "Armitage gave you an instruction. You will follow it or there will be consequences. Use ganache or marzipan where you would use fondant instead. If even a single detail is misplaced, if any piece of my betrothed's special day is inconvenience, there will be a price exacted."

The baker went white and Hux felt smug.

The cake tasting had been going almost like a tea party, with many, many different samples of cakes to choose from. Thrawn had joined him for a brief break from his own duties and was enjoying it. Mitaka was out comparing patterns of china. Hux was proud of the Lieutenant. He had apparently broken an unsatisfactory plate over the craftsman's head, pointing out the defects in the prescribed color schemes and overall setting that the very formal wedding banquet with its ten courses was to hold to.

Thrawn was fairly relaxed, tasting, but not often offering an opinion. Instead, he watched Hux work through the insipid baker's array and intervened only when the baker became huffy. Further, he intervened in Hux's favor, not something that often happened.

Hux was quite pleased.

Thrawn reached forwards suddenly, a fork held in front of him and offered a bite of a chocolate layer. "This is delicious. Try it."

Hux accepted the taste slowly, savoring it. "I daresay that one's my favorite."

Thrawn took a second sample and nodded. "I agree. Chocolate, then, with white chocolate buttercream and ganache?"

"Yes." Armitage smiled slowly. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Thrawn smiled back and finished his tea. "I must go. If any one else gives you trouble, refer them to me. I'll see that it's dealt with."

Hux smiled like a cat with a saucer of cream. "Of course, Admiral."


	8. Regalia

Hux dressed in his ornate uniform for their wedding day. It was covered in gold trimmings and buttons polished to shine with a red sash bisecting his chest. His array of medals beautifully off set the black fabric.

Mitaka assured Hux that the Grand Admiral in his own dress uniform was resplendent. The lieutenant had been running last minute messages back and forth between the Sith Lord and the General. He was a bit out of breath, but excited.

"All is well. Disaster has been averted." Mitaka carefully ran a hand down his own uniform, neatening it up.

"Excellent." Hux paused. "And my special supplies?"

"They have arrived and I placed them with your luggage." Mitaka tugged at his collar, blushing.

"Good. Then all is ready." He reached up to touch the backwards-facing diadem, the one piece of jewelry that Thrawn had insisted on. "Five minutes and counting."

"I will see you in the chapel, General." Mitaka bowed, put his peaked cap on his head, and left.


	9. Matrimony

Thrawn had chosen a semi-private venue. As Imperial functions went, it was small and intimate, only about a hundred officers and lords from the Imperial court and the Finalizer. Ren was absent, perhaps he couldn't bear the idea.

Hux had no bouquet. He and Thrawn entered the chapel together. It was clear that Thrawn was doing all in his power to impress that he didn't want to dominate, nor battle with Hux, but to enter matrimony as equals. If anything, he was acting in a more subordinate role, going along with what Hux wanted. 

He wondered if Thrawn would have aceeded to bright pink for their reception if he had asked. He wouldn't have asked, of course, but he did wonder.

Thrawn offered his hand to the smaller, more slender General. After a moment of hesitation, Hux took it. They swept down the aisle together.

 

Ren meditated on the star ship that Hux commanded. He wondered if the General could still feel him between his legs, plowing him into the bed or if his soreness had faded long ago.

Perhaps he should remind the General of whose he was. He was relaxing too easily around that alien usurper.

But Thrawn easily repelled him. He had shielded the whole chapel so they would be undisturbed while they said their vows.

He seethed in rage and focused, struggling.


	10. Reception

Thrawn and Hux had already been posed for more than a hundred holograms, both in flat, print-out and the round. Their wedding party had also been thoroughly documented.

The ceremony, private though it was in person, was being broadcast live across the galaxy, even in Republic space, across all channels. Thrawn had explained that he was, with Hux's permission, using the wedding as a chance for prime propaganda. Of course, Hux had been glad to be of service and had prepared a complimentary speech to Thrawn's own and allowed recording droids to use clips from the reception to put together a glowing little "follow up" that wouldn't be pushed as hard as the speeches or the ceremony itself.

"Last chance to back out." Thrawn murmured to Hux. "You don't have to do this."

"I'm not backing out. Are you?" Hux murmured with a hint of challenge.

"Not a chance. I've been looking forwards to this since you were born."

"That long, huh? And you only chose to tell me this past month?"

Thrawn smiled. "I didn't think you'd appreciate being pined over."

Hux nodded. "No, I wouldn't." They stared forwards as they reached the front of the chapel.

 

Unable to monitor the ceremony through the Force, Ren turned on the holochannel. He grudgingly watched as Thrawn and Hux walked down the aisle, hand in hand. He made the feed focus on Hux's face and read his lips. Standard conversation for the situation, with one minor detail. Thrawn confessed that he had been looking forwards to this since Hux had been born.

Kylo frowned. Thrawn might have had seniority, but Hux was his. He would go to great lengths to prove it.


	11. Speechifcation

After the ceremony Thrawn and hux were to give addresses to the massed crowd in the plaza below a balcony on the east side of the palace before removing themselves to Covergence, Thrawn's family home and the "official" site of their honeymoon.

"Propaganda documentaries are already being made." Thrawn explained. "Mostly touting the beauties of Convergence and the various entertainments we could enjoy were we to stay there. As it stands, I have arranged for something much more private."

Hux approved. "The more support and sympathy we can wring from the event the better. All this pomp and ceremony should serve some purpose."

"Which doesn't mean that it shouldn't be special to us. Even an arranged marriage should have good early memories for the best later results." He showed Hux the small, wintered chalet that his father owned near Naboo's arctic circle. "It will be beautiful."

"Of course."

Hux shook away the memory. Romance was for lovers. They were purely political allies and would probably end up fucking. Nothing in it.

Thrawn's hand seemed to go slightly slack in his grip. Perhaps he had picked up on that thought.

Thrawn led Hux out onto the balcony. "Citizens of the Empire!" He spoke evenly, microphones picking his voice up, spreading it over the crowd, broadcasting it to the heart of the Order and the Republic equally. "I am proud to present to you, my husband and your Emperor-Consort!"

There was a roar of applause as Thrawn gestured grandly to Hux, displaying him easily with a smile.

Hux nodded, stepping forwards to wave to the cheering crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this whole wedding sequence, in addition to being my own take on a Thrux wedding, is a criticism of someone else's work.
> 
> For those of you who have read "in this life and all others" it's a great fic. I like reading it. I like the author.
> 
> But for God's sake, Kylo Ren sucks at being a bridegroom and shows himself as a boor and a pathetic, thoughtless child while Hux is a long-suffering little forced-bride who just can't catch a break. My grievances are as follows:
> 
> 1) Ren is late to greet Hux. This is just insulting. Hux is a very important personage who would have spent days in transit. Kylo can take time out of his schedule to meet him. Contrast this with Thrawn who comes parade-ready to greet Hux himself and is concerned for his welfare, even bringing a gift and attempting to rescue him from Ren when he has an episode. 
> 
> 2) Ren assumes that Hux will be happy to arrange the wedding details. As someone who has lived through more than one wedding, I assure you that this complex and frustrating process is wearing for most women. Most men would rather have pigs in blankets than taste spinach tarts for hours. (Bonus hate points: Spinach tarts are the most disgusting food ever.) Contrast this with Thrawn, who does his utmost to help Hux and assures him that he needn't do it if he doesn't want to.
> 
> 3) The wedding clothes. Even the most unwilling bride gets to choose her dress. Hux should be able to choose to wear his dress blacks, which are more than fitting and proper for a royal wedding. There is a reason most princes are given useless titles. Contrast Ren's casual insistence that Hux conform to a tradition that isn't his own with Thrawn's requests that leave Hux a grand amount of freedom.
> 
> 4) Ren doesn't take any interest in the wedding preperations or his to-be. He leaves it all to Hux, which frustrates the poor man immensely. He only acknowledges Hux to criticize and scold him. He doesn't look mature, he looks like a prick. Contrast with Thrawn, who goes out of his way to help Hux and spend time with him before the wedding.
> 
> 5) Thrawn backs Hux up. When Hux is having difficulty with a stubborn servant, Thrawn intervenes and ensures that Hux knows he can rely on him to back him up and ensure he has the wedding he wants. He communicates with and supports Hux every step of the way. Ren, on the other hand, would rather tease Hux than make sure he has the wedding he deserves. He's an asshole.
> 
> The horrible honeymoon aside, which can't really be blamed on either one of them except for the wedding night. "You were acting like a child, so I gave you a child's room" Seriously, Ren? You should be going to pieces with worry and remorse that Hux thought you would rape him rather than accept his refusal. You should be assuring him that he won't be hurt if he doesn't want to show you passion. What right have you to be angry that the man who barely knows you, whom you have ignored for almost the whole week leading to the wedding and tyrannized in every way while running off to do your own thing, doesn't want to have sex with you? I wouldn't have said "I do" at all. I'd have called it off. This is the galaxy where cars fly. You're advanced enough to solve problems without the archaic arranged marriage. Shut up, cry a river, build a bridge, and get over it.
> 
> UGH! With that over, feel free to get back to the story.


	12. Reception

Hux wasn't entirely happy to see that Ren had gotten over his sulk and joined them at the reception. Thrawn himself was much less happy about it. Still, he congratulated them both perfectly politely and withdrew to the edge of the foyer to glare from beneath his helmet as others entered.

Mitaka was recieving last-minute presents and keeping track of the time along with Thrawn's second, Gilad Pelleaon. The two officers had hit it off almost immediately and were enjoying their duties immensely.

Thrawn and Hux stood by the door, greeting each guest in turn as they were seated at the banquet table. Nobles first, then military officers, and finally the couple themselves.

They entered hand in hand again. As Thrawn took Hux's hand, he stroked the plain gold band on Hux's slender fingers. "Ren is here. Will he behave himself?"

"Probably. Snoke likely gave him orders not to interfere." Hux responded. Thrawn's own band had been formed from a ring of matte black metal without ornamentation.

"Then I will tolerate his presence."

Hux nodded. "Let's go in. They'll be wondering what we're doing."

Thrawn looked forwards. "Here we go. Dinner and dancing for two hundred."

Hux almost laughed and they went in.

Hux had chosen gold, black, and red for their reception. White went without saying.

The tablecloths were a sparkling white linen with whitework picked out in them. There would be three china patterns used and two silver patterns. The crystalware was an antique set from Palpatine's treasury, elegant and clean-lined with prismatic reflections.

Thrawn pulled out Hux's chair with a flicker of the Force. He had been wearing his Ysalimiri, complete with a jeweled collar and white ribbons, the whole time. It was strange not to feel Kylo's presence on his mind and know that for once he had complete privacy in his own mind. He would have to ask Thrawn if he could have an Ysalimiri of his own at this rate, it was remarkably peaceful.

The banquet was fine and beautiful with the finest foods that Hux had ever tasted. He wanted to clear his plate each time it was re-filled.

The cake was equally beautiful. The cook had taken Thrawn's warning to heart and there wasn't a square inch of fondant on it.

The miniatures on top of the cake were as life-like as possible, formed in plastic and standing on a glass mirror. They were scaled perfectly. 

The cake was a work of art. Hux couldn't have cared less what it was decorated as, so Thrawn had suggested that the baker take inspiration from the Coruscant opera house and its old baroque styling.

The first slice was taken from the bottom layer. They sabered it using a katana and levered the slice onto a plate.

"Don't make a mess of me." Hux murmured.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing." Thrawn smiled, gently feeding Hux the first bite.

 

Ren seethed as they danced. Even if he couldn't sense Hux's true emotions with him inside that damnable creature's bubble, he could see the way Thrawn was looking at his husband as they leaned into each other and whispered. Hux was blushing, he had been drinking, and the small smile on Thrawn's face told Ren that he fully intended to be deep inside that tiny little backside, taking what Ren had claimed.

He would have to give Hux a little reminder at some point before the newlyweds slipped away.


	13. Corner

Thrawn was talking and laughing with a delegation from one of Thrawn's allies when Ren made his move, slipping up beside Hux. "General, may I have a word?"

Thrawn's head swiveled towards Ren and he glared with red eyes. Perhaps he picked up on Ren's intentions better than Hux did. "Excuse us, Ambassador."

The Ambassador made a noise like boiling water and bowed, turning away to its consort and escorting her out to the dance floor.

Hux looked between the two men and wondered if they would all survive this wedding. If the way Thrawn and Ren were glaring at each other was any indication, someone was probably going to die. "Of course, Ren. What do you need?"

Thrawn's arms were folded, but Hux noticed his lightsaber jiggling in its decorative holster. He was ready for a fight if Ren tried to start one.

Ren made a sound like a sigh. "...in private?"

"Very well." Thrawn responded. "The balcony." He took Hux's arm and led them out.

Ren wasn't pleased. "In PRIVATE, Emperor."

Thrawn re-folded his arms. "No."

Hux stepped between them as Ren instinctively went for his lightsaber. "Let's not fight. Thrawn, why don't you wait beside the door? I'm sure Ren wouldn't try anything with you so close."

Thrawn still wasn't happy, but his expression softened a tad. "Very well, Armitage. But if this son of a jetiisse so much as lays a finger on you, I'm coming back out."

"Reasonable." Hux nodded ascent. "Thank you."

Thrawn stepped back into the golden light of the ballroom and turned his back to the glass doors, pretending to watch the dancing.


	14. Claim

Ren hissed at Hux. "What are you doing?"

"Enjoying my own wedding. I wasn't aware that was a crime." Hux growled back. "What are YOU doing?"

"Reminding you of whose you are."

Hux looked down at his left hand in faux surprise. "Hmm... Let's see... Wedding band, engagement ring, even an old-style Imperial Seal ring... Now, who gave me those?"

Ren snarled.

"Oh, that's right. It was Thrawn. Beauregard. Palpatine. Not a certain moody child who's doing his utmost to ruin this alliance and my reception." Alcohol made him bold and he stared Ren down without fear.

"You may wear his rings, but only I know what it's like beneath that uniform."

"Considering the general course of a wedding night, I doubt that will be true for long."

Ren jerked forwards, but Thrawn gave a back-hand tap on the glass to remind the other Force user of his presence. "I can't believe you. You want this!"

"I didn't say that." Hux lowered his voice further. "But I want this alliance to fall to pieces even less. We need allies, Ren."

"And you'll whore yourself to an alien freak for that cause, of course." Ren hissed poisonously. "I wonder what he'll think of you when he finds out how much encouragement you need to perform."

Hux growled. He hated any mention of his difficulties and that had added a sickening undertone of fear to this thoughts about the wedding. "I will take care of my own problems, Ren. Now get out of my sight."

Ren executed a mocking, elaborate bow and re-joined the party. Hux crossed to the railing, draped with roses, and leaned on it, head in his hands.

Thrawn stepped into the silver light, closing away the warmth and noise of the ball. "Are you all right?"

Hux considered a lie and decided to tell the truth. "No."

Thrawn stood awkwardly a bit behind and to Hux's left. "Armitage... What did he say to you?"

"Nothing that should bother me. Didn't you listen?"

"No, I only monitored Ren's movements." He loosed his Ysalamiri from her harness and let her crawl down his arm to the railing. "She won't go far."

Hux stroked the yellowish fur and scales. "What's her name?"

"Well, this one is actually a he and... promise not to laugh?"

"I don't make such promises." Hux warned.

Thrawn muttered. 

"Speak up, I can't hear you." Hux smirked.

"Admiral Snoots." Thrawn sighed.

"That's... oddly adorable." Hux mused, the lizard sniffing at his hand.

Thrawn relaxed slightly. "There are... many things about me you should know soon enough. It's almost time to slip out, though. One last dance?"

Hux nodded. "I agree. One last dance."

It was a slow, lingering dance, tired guests going out to their speeders all through it until the ball room was filled with music, a single couple, and the shadow who watched them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit for Admiral Snoots and Curry goes to pileofsith on tumblr. Check her out, amazing fanartist.
> 
> And, I imagine that the song Hux and Thrawn dance to at the end is either Elvis Presley's "Falling in Love With You" or Josh Groban's "Un Alma Mas" YOU DECIDE!


	15. Impatience

Thrawn insisted on piloting the speedy little skiff to the chalet himself, telling Hux to rest.

The further North they went, the colder it got, eventually Hux just curled up with a blanket in his cot to gain some warmth. 

Just before Thrawn was about to put the skiff down, Hux dug into one particular dufflebag and retrieved a shipping case. Opening it, he pulled out a clear jar filled with soft, electric blue globes in blue gel. Using a spoon, he scooped one out and ate it, hiding his distaste. He stuffed the jar down into the duffle, his "overnight" bag, and brought it forwards to set beside Thrawn's.

Thrawn looked up when he came into the cockpit. "Here we are." He gestured to the sweeping snow. "Paradise."

"I thought paradise was supposed to be sunny."

"For some. Do you object? We could go somewhere else. Perhaps not tonight, but tomorrow?"

"No, I don't object." Hux shook his head. "I've always loved the cold."

"Then let's go in."

Thrawn tasked a pair of droids that greeted them with carrying their luggage and the supplies for the month into the chalet. He showed Hux in and gave him an abbreviated tour. A quick glance at an ancient clock told Hux that their wedding "night" was bleeding into the early morning.

"Where's the master bedroom?" He asked the Chiss. The aphrodisiac egg was doing its work in his system, he could feel its warmth blooming in his stomach and helping him to... appreciate the handsome hybrid before him.

"Right this way. You'll have that one, of course. If you'd like, I have a second bedroom for myself."

"Sleep apart on our wedding night? You must be joking." He pulled the other man through the door and began undressing with his back to the Chiss.

Though his eyes roved over the sculpture before him, Thrawn frowned, tugging at his own sash. "You don't have to, I won't force you."

Hux turned around, showing a growing arousal. "I'm offering. I like this as much as Ren does."

"Oh. Oh, my!" Thrawn's eyes grew a size or two, his own jacket falling away. Hux wasn't conventionally perfect, but convention was a foolish way to measure physical beauty.

Hux was experiencing a similar reaction to Thrawn, who was conventional perfection on a larger scale. His height couldn't be considered perfect. Even in this over-sized room he had the look of an elegant, gentle giant instead of a naturally sized man.

They were just getting into foreplay when Thrawn smelled the egg. Pushing away, he coughed. "Ugh! What is that, Armitage? You smell like a dead sturgeon."

Hux put a hand to his mouth. The egg had been winding him up easily, helping him to respond to Thrawn, but he had neglected the awful aftertaste and strong scent. If only he had thought to pop a mint into his mouth! "I'm sorry. I can't help it. Perhaps-"

But Thrawn was sniffing more deeply. "Are those... Poshikiperrs?" He thrust himself away from Hux so fast that the blankets flew up around him.

Now Hux was angry. "What's wrong? That I smell bad?"

"You didn't tell me that you were high as ever living fudge on aphrodisiacs." Thrawn scowled. "When I took you to my marital bed, I didn't want you under influences."

Hux dropped a hand to the bed. "Would you have wanted an impotent girl, then?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thrawn dressed in his rumpled uniform quickly.

"Then you're just leaving me like this?" Hux pleaded, his mind buzzing with the stimulation. 

Thrawn seemed to regard the door with longing for a moment. "No." He turned back and placed a hand on Armitage's temple, exerting mental pressure and soothing the chemicals down. The general was asleep like a baby before long.

Thrawn tucked him in gently and then decided not to leave him after all. He stripped back out of the constricting uniform, put their clothes to rights, and dressed in his pajamas, climbing into bed beside his spouse.


	16. Waking

Hux woke first, his eyes flicking lazily in the morning light. With care, he sat up, trying not to disturb Thrawn beside him. He looked over at the chrono and shook his head. He had over-slept.

But since when was a honeymoon on a schedule?

He looked over at Thrawn, curled up into a nearly fetal position, with his face partially hidden in his hands. Rolling onto his stomach, he watched the red eyes flicking from side to side beneath his lids.

Thrawn groaned under the scrutiny and brought his hands away. Hux stared. "Armitage...?"

"Thrawn... Were you sucking your thumb?"

Thrawn didn't blush. "Yes. What of it?"

"Nothing. I just didn't imagine you doing that." Hux sat up. "Good morning..."

"How much do you remember of last night?" Thrawn asked.

"Enough." Hux curled his knees to his chest. "Do I disgust you?"

"No. Not as such. I find the scent and flavor of Poshikippers revolting, though. I'd appreciate it if you warned me before using them." Thrawn's eyes were more expressive in privacy, such as this bedroom, and they were crinkling in concern. "I'm more concerned that you would think them necessary than that you used them at all. And you made a comment last night that I find disturbing."

"Would you prefer an impotent girl?" Floated through Hux's head and he cursed mentally. Of all the damn fool things to say.

"You know, I will not judge you." Thrawn laid back into the pillows. "But I will not invade your mind. If I need to know something, I need you to tell me."

Hux sighed through his nose and put his head in his hands. "Ever since I was about twenty, I've been having difficulty... performing in sexual situations."

"I see. So you took the aphrodisiacs as a sort of guard against embarrassment."

Hux blushed more deeply. "For all the good it did."

Thrawn shrugged and rolled over, finding one of Hux's feet and tickling the sole. "It's not so bad. I was dreading telling you of my own small habits and you took my main one rather well."

"I am under no delusions where childhood habits are concerned. There is no reason to be ashamed of taking alternate sources of comfort, though I don't see the appeal." He sighed and wiggled his toes against Thrawn's wrist. "Impotence is another matter, don't you think?"

"Difficulty is not impotence. I would enjoy attempting such relations later. There are techniques I can use to help you... and I will like riling you up." He rolled out of the bed. "But this isn't the time. Perhaps in the evening."


	17. Chalet d' Rue Moran

Hux took a moment to center himself while Thrawn showered and changed into civilian clothes, not unlike his uniform, but looser and unadorned. He had set aside royal trappings from the chalet and, were it not for a photograph from their extensive propaganda shoots on the dresser, it would not seem a place that an Emperor chose to spend time.

Hux had packed his few civilian outfits with apprehension. Unlike Thrawn's apparently extensive wardrobe, he had only two or three suits of clothes, none of which was acceptable for the weather outside.

Fortunately, Thrawn had thought of that. "I didn't wish to bother you with a relatively paltry detail. I had some other things made up for you while you dress uniform was being re-fitted."

"That was exceptionally thoughtful. Thank you." Hux touched a fine silver coat lined with fur. It was easily nicer than anything he could have afforded even on a General's salary. So were most of the other things, from silk thermal underwear to a set of pajamas with his initials embroidered on it.

"Armitage... May I call you Mitty? Armitage is a bit of a mouthful and Hux is so impersonal." Thrawn unpacked his luggage, hanging certain articles up and folding others.

"I don't like nicknames."

Thrawn rolled his eyes. "Armitage it is then."

"I was about to say that I would make an exception so long as I could choose one for you and you never used it around other people."

"Agreed." Thrawn nodded. "As I was saying, I wondered if you wished to explore the chalet. I want to rest at least for today, and I didn't wish you to be bored."

"I'd like that, thank you. I assume no doors will be locked?"

"None that your seal ring won't open." Thrawn nodded to the piece of jewelry. "If there is one, just come find me. I'll be in the observation room or the study."

"Of course." Hux made a note to find those rooms as soon as possible.


	18. The Attic

Hux moved through the chalet peacefully. It was a beautiful little manse, with specialized rooms for every necessity. A living room, dining room, a foyer for dealing with snow-wet clothing and boots, a glass room that housed a small, natural hot spring that smelled almost sweetly salty, and an exercise room with a glass roof and hooks and eye bolts in the ceiling. They were well stocked and the droids were attentive, seeing to Hux's needs as he commanded them.

In all, it was a perfect, isolated little place.

He found the study and library, which had an extensive liquor cabinet, and poured himself something nice to carry along. 

"Aren't you going to offer to pour one for me?" Thrawn stepped out of the space between the pair of free-standing bookshelves.

Hux smiled at the Chiss. "I didn't see you." He made out a second glass and handed it to Thrawn. 

"Thank you." He savored the liquor. "You have excellent taste, though I did see you eyeing the gin."

"I think of myself as an afficianado." Hux informed, swirling the brandy.

"Feel free to indulge as often as you like. In general, I have much less use for liquor than my father." Thrawn set his glass down on the desk and returned to the bookshelves.

Hux carried his drink along with him to explore the rest of the chalet. He found himself in a dusty old storage room piled with boxes.

"I see you found the attic." Thrawn stepped up behind him. He had to bend over to avoid hitting his head. "Oh the memories this old place brings up. I wonder what's in here."

Hux dusted the side of a box off. "Baby supplies, apparently."

Thrawn crossed to Hux's side and lifted the box down. "Hey! These were mine!" He smiled, pulling out a small cuddly toy. "I wondered where all of this had gone." He put the box back and moved on. "My old sled! What the--?" He moved aside several boxes to reveal a long, glass tube. "Father really did keep everything. Sentimental old fool." It was spoken with affection, not venom.

"What's that?" Hux came up beside him.

"My birth tube. I was one of nine experiments in creating the perfect Force user. I was the only one who survived." He sighed, touching the glass. "I have the barest memories of being inside this thing."

Hux considered the man beside him. He deserved his quirks if this was how he had begun.


	19. Dreamtime

After a brief dinner, Thrawn disappeared to soak in the hot spring. He was there when Hux came in, wrapped in a black velvet robe and carrying towels. "May I join you?"

Thrawn's eyes flicked open and he lazily regarded Hux. "It seems you're all ready to. Why not?"

Hux laid his robe near the edge of the spring and slowly sank in. "Oh, this is nice." He ducked beneath the water to warm entirely. 

Thrawn smiled softly and beckoned him close. "C'mere."

Hux slid into place beside him. "Do you bring all the boys here?"

Thrawn huffed a laugh. "No, just you. I haven't had guests at this chalet in years." He stroked a pale shoulder. "Father used to give me my bath in this spring. He said it was the only way to get me near water."

Hux chuckled at the image of Emperor Palpatine struggling to get a blue-skinned child to take a bath in a normal tub or even a sink.

Thrawn shook his head in mirth. "Don't project images like that. You'll make me laugh at all the wrong times."

The water was soothing, Hux's eyes fluttering shut.

Beside him, Thrawn stood up, moving slightly to half-stand, half kneel in front of him. The spring had been cut deeply to accommodate his height, with a bench around the sides to sit on. He fixed Armitage with his odd, red eyes and summoned a pumice stone to his hand.

Hux didn't resist the careful grip of fingers on his ankle. He did open his eyes again and look to see what was going on.

Thrawn lovingly ran the stone over Hux's heel, repeating the motion with soothing regularity. He admired the finely made foot carefully. Hux had never had thick body hair and his feet were oddly naked. Thrawn, like most Chiss, was almost entirely bare. 

"Don't worry about water quality. This spring is filtered and cleaned." Thrawn smoothed away dead skin, carefully working his way along his husband's sole and up to his toes.

Hux hadn't been thinking any such thing.

Thrawn reached down to the bottom of the spring and brought up a handful of fine sand. He used the grit to gently scrub the fine and soft calf.

Hux thought vaguely of the irony of their situation. The Emperor serving a mere General.

Thrawn was picking up on his humor. He smiled and continued his work.

Hux pulled the leg away when he touched a ticklish spot behind his knee. Thrawn released easily, taking the other foot in hand.

"Are you trying to arouse me?" Hux murmured.

"Maybe." Thrawn evaded, pressing a kiss to the long, delicate toes in front of him.

"It's not going to work unless I have some kind of drug." He sighed. "Or if you slap me around a bit."

Thrawn carefully ran the grit along the second calf. "Indeed? And why is that?"

"I don't know. I said I had difficulties."

"That wasn't quite the question I meant: Why do you feel the need to be slapped around?"

"It works with Ren."

"I see. So because it works with one man, it must be the only way?" Thrawn released the second foot, taking Hux's hand and pressing a kiss to each finger.

Hux shifted uncomfortably. "He's not the only one."

Thrawn traced soothing fingers over long muscles. "I have a theory."

"Mm?"

"I think you just need to stop stressing out. At twenty you graduated from the Academy, correct? Top of your class across the board, sniper and strategist alike."

"Correct."

"Immediately, you were thrust into your first command and given orders to prove yourself. Now, ten years later, the youngest General in the First Order. A lot of strain, an incredible weight on too slim shoulders, pushed past what others were. Unfairly derided for mistakes. Am I correct?"

"To the letter." The fingers are on his clavicle.

"Further, the emotional strain of being in constant danger makes relaxing enough to have an erection, never mind bring yourself to completion with or without a partner, almost impossible. In short: You feel too threatened to want to have sex."

Hux choked a laugh. "Then why would I go for being beaten to a pulp?"

"It's a bit more complex than all that, but I would still like to try this." Thrawn soothed both hands over his shoulders, straddling Armitage in a mock submissive position. "And I think it's working."

One of Hux's hands went to his groin, covered by a swimsuit of course, and found himself hardening.

Thrawn smirks like a cat. "Well, well, well..." He sat down gingerly in the General's lap and kissed him. Of course, he had been soaking naked. "I think we could carry on where our wedding night, left off, General."

Hux was surprised when Thrawn guided his hands to his own entrance, helping him to work the tight, secret place open. "I didn't think you would relish submission."

"Am I submitting?" Thrawn gave him a humorous look. "Or merely controlling in a different fashion?"

Ren would never have straddled him, opened himself to receive Hux, never considered different forms of control.

"Stop thinking about him." Thrawn murmured into his ear. "I hate it when you think about him. It makes all this pain, stress, shame come to the surface." He dragged Armitage up out of the water and laid him down on a mat nearby, taking up his own position again, the straddle familiar.

Hux nodded, staring down at the man on top of him. Hux had always been average, Kylo had an impressive girth, but Thrawn was in his own category. He was longer than Kylo easily, but thin enough that Hux could take him without discomfort. 

Thrawn planted his hands on either side of Armitage's head and began an up and down undulation with his hips that left Hux gasping as Thrawn whispered a litany of praising words mixed with his name.

He enjoyed bringing the General off, clearly, but there was a missing element to it, something that Hux couldn't seem to find by a change of angle. Regardless, when Hux had reached his completion, Thrawn was still stiff.

He rolled the Chiss easily, Thrawn going with it, until he was crouched over Thrawn's groin, diving down onto him.

Thrawn pulled him off at the last moment. "Armitage, I think you should probably-" Armitage twisted his hand and Thrawn spilled.

There was a sensation of soft, round beads rolling down his wrist as Thrawn orgasmed. Perfectly opaque pearls rolled into the floor.

Thrawn lay on his back, panting, while Hux admired them. It was odd, exotic, and a complete turn-on to imagine pearls like this exploding into his backside.


	20. Afterglow

Thrawn sat up. "Perhaps I should have told you earlier..."

Hux captured one of the slippery beads and squished it between two fingers. "Does this always happen?"

"No." Thrawn blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Only when I haven't had sex in a while. If... Well, if we have sex regularly, the beads get larger and softer until there's either just one that barely holds itself together or... if we're... well... a lot of it... Then I'll squirt like you do."

"You don't masturbate?"

"I don't like to." Thrawn flushed more deeply. "I like a partner."

Hux laughed, capturing another and rolling it in his palm.

"Can you... Could you stop that... Please? I... Well..." Thrawn climbed back into the hot water. "I recover faster than you do." He stated with dignity.

Hux held one of the balls between his thumb and forefinger. Raising it to pink lips, he sucked it between his teeth with an obscene noise.

Thrawn's shoulders tensed.

Hux lowered a hand to his cock while his other went after another bead.

Thrawn whispered something that might have been "fuck it" and leapt out of the spring. He snatched Hux up and ran through the chalet to their bedroom, dumping his husband out on the bed. "I wanted to get back here for this."

Armitage laughed at the state Thrawn was in. He looked completely undone.


	21. Consumated

Thrawn was still fast asleep when Hux stirred.

Curry and Admiral Snoots were making purring noises in their corner. It was... peaceful.

Ren wouldn't be happy. The inevitable moment that separated Thrawn from his side would bring Ren. Ren, who would comb through all of his memories of the Emperor and corrupt them.

He had no illusions. He loved neither man. But while Ren had been a cold and brutal bastard who destroyed everything he worked for, Thrawn had defended him and treated him gently, kindly.

As captors, or allies, went, he would choose Thrawn over Ren any day.

Thrawn was making small sounds, his dreams had taken a turn. He turned over restlessly, reaching for Hux. "Mitty...?"

Hux slid back into his arms easily. 

"Mitty..." He pressed a sleepy kiss to his forehead and fell into the conscious lake again. Hux smiled softly. He could kill him any time he chose, but Thrawn's death would bring him nothing.


	22. The Babies

Thrawn woke up before Hux did and got out of bed. The Ysalimiri were making hungry squeaking noises and needed to be fed before they woke Mitty.

Ysalimiri generally absorbed nutrients from their trees, but they could, in captivity, be bottle fed a mixture of vegetable broth and milk. Thrawn stirred together said mixture carefully, making sure it wasn't too hot before he poured it off into the two baby bottles.

"Thrawn? What are you doing?"

Thrawn turned around to smile at Hux. "I'm feeding our two babies."

"Babies? You mean your pets?"

"They're so much more than pets! Want to help?" He offered.

"Sure, because that's exactly what I like to do before I've had my caf: Feed lizards."

Thrawn let Curry down off of his shoulder and onto the table. Admiral Snoots slid down his arm to be cradled and rolled onto his back to suckle the bottle Thrawn held. "Curry likes to eat standing up. Try it."

"Okay." Hux grabbed the bottle and gave it to Curry. The Ysalimiri squealed and began suckling greedily. "Well, she is an eager little thing."

Thrawn smiled down at Curry. "She's greedy with the bottle. Be careful. Tap her nose if she tries to bite your fingers."

Hux nodded, smiling at Curry.

Thrawn watched Hux with a slightly dazed look on his face. He almost looked angelic in the dove grey robe and the morning light.

"See something you like?" Hux smiled up at him.

"Yes, I do." Thrawn leaned against the counter.


	23. The Sled

Thrawn soon became restless in their beautiful chalet. He dug around in the attic until he'd found it: A sled, of course.

"No, that's for children." Hux firmly crossed his arms.

"No, it's not! My father used to ride this with me all the time!" Thrawn protested. "And even if true, what's the harm in it? A few flights down a mountain, a brisk walk back up, why it sounds healthy!"

"A walk also sounds healthy." Hux pointed out.

"Oh, yes, but on a sled you can go uphill both ways." 

Thrawn had convinced him.

Hux took a comically long time trying to get into his outer wear. Inevitably, Thrawn bent over to help him, pulling his gloves through the thick cuffs, ensuring a tight seal, arranging the hood. "Are we ready to go now? Or do you need me to help you check that your socks are tucked in?"

Hux glared at him.

"Ah, Mitty, you know I was teasing." He kissed Hux's nose. "Come on."

Armitage allowed Thrawn to take his hand and drag him up towards the peak, the sled in tow. "The snow is pretty deep."

"Would you like me to drag you on the sled?" Thrawn teased.

"No!" Hux bared his teeth.

Thrawn laughed and shook his head.


	24. Distant Plunge

Thrawn found them a good spot to kick off from and made Hux sit in front. "It's simple aerodynamics, Mitty. We'll go faster and I'll be able to steer better with you in front."

"What if I don't want to go fast?" Hux sat in the front as Thrawn gripped the back of the sled and prepared to give them a running push.

"Then you're missing the point." And off he shoved, leaping into place at the last moment.

The sled had been beautifully designed for Thrawn. He had proudly declared it his own and given Hux a run-down on its capabilities as they walked upwards. Hux had judged it quite beautiful and efficient. He didn't doubt that it would make for a fast ride down, but he did object to the fact that Thrawn had clearly sacrificed handling and stability for speed.

"I know I did. But I think you'll find that we won't fall or crash." He smiled into his collar and dropped the sled ropes. "Now get on."

His hood almost blew off as they went speeding down. Narrowly dodging trees, going around and through drifts, carving a clear trail down the mountainside. It wouldn't surprise him if Thrawn carried them all the way down.

He was surprised by how smooth the ride was. Thrawn hadn't been joking when he said he was good at controlling it. Even if he was probably using the Force to keep them firmly upright, Hux was still impressed.

Then, he looked forwards, straight at a tree with a wide trunk.


	25. Brush With Injury

Hux tossed his hands over his face in fright as the sled jerked sideways. The branches were so close that he imagined he could feel them caress his hair as they flew past.

He didn't gather the courage to open his eyes again until they were resting on a practically flat section of drifts and Thrawn was standing up. "Was it truly so awful?"

Hux opened his eyes and looked around. He was alive, unharmed, and panting heavily. "It was... exhilarating. And terrifying."

Thrawn laughed and extended a white-gloved hand. "Come on. Let's go again." He led up the mountainside, taking Hux up an easy track. "You do realize that I would never have let us hit that tree?"

Hux looked over at the offending fir. "It seemed like something that Ren would do for a moment."

Thrawn snarled at the mention, though he did not direct it at Hux. "I am nothing like Ren."

Hux wondered whether it would be wise to ask his next question or not, decided to risk it, and spoke up. "You often say that, but I'm at a bit of a loss. Aren't you both students of the Dark Side of Ren's nebulous Force? I can see that you are in better control of yourself, but... well..."

"Ren has been the only Force user you know who does not cleave to the ridiculous idealism that the Jedi Order so prizes?"

"To put it bluntly: Yes."

"Ren is a Dark Jedi, a being known for causing chaos and for letting emotion have free reign as well as having an obsession with cutting himself off from the Light. The Sith on the other hand, are creatures of order and control. We do not cause unnecessary chaos, nor do we obsess with the call to the Light, which is evident in every sentient being's most basic nature. Further, we hold our emotions to control. In short: We are law, our will is law, and the Force is a tool, a neutral tool. There is no good or evil, merely will and power." He looked back at Hux. "My father and I disagreed on many matters of policy and enforcement. It led us to become... not estranged, but not as close as we had been before I achieved mastery. I saw no reason to kill my father and take his place. It would have weakened me emotionally and where resources are concerned. In most things, I was my father's eclipse, but together we could create things that you would not believe without seeing."

"Is patricide a Sith tradition?"

"No, not merely patricide, though often apprentices do end up severing all physical attachments through the cleansing of violence, but the line of Bane, the line that my father and I cleaved to, is based upon the Rule of Two, indicating that there should be only two Sith at any one time. I agree. But this is a heavily subjective rule based upon the necessity for singular, strong rule. In my interpretation, one Sith should have one apprentice, but why should the apprentice, once finished with his learning and training, and surpassing his master, kill the person who is, in essence, the closest thing to a father he has known. It would leave one weaker than before. Now that the Sith are a public force, there is no need for secrecy to a great extent, and I walk freely. I have chosen no apprentice, because no candidates have satisfied. Further, in the matter of the Dark Side, a little training is worse than none at all. It often drives the trainee insane."

"And the Emperor merely allowed you this view?"

"I offered to allow him to cleanse his line and start anew, but he found that he could not in the end. We parted, and I went to the reaches of space, only returning after he had died, to see if I could find anything of him."

"And did you?"

"His lightsaber crystal was shattered, but the shards called out to me to retrieve them. I collected them all out of the rubble." He stopped walking, draped the sled ropes over a tree branch, and fumbled his arm out of his heavy coat to show Hux the armband he had made with the red slivers of his father's weapon. They were arranged in three starbursts about his wrist. Hux had seen him put the bracelet on, but thought nothing of it.

"Would he approve?"

Thrawn laughed. "He would probably lecture me on my sentimentality and the risk I took returning for such a paltry reward, but I never was going to listen to his advice where he was concerned."


	26. Gingersnap Kisses

Thrawn cozied Hux into a chair before a roaring fire. Not a fake one either, a proper fire. The poor general was clearly unused to the cold conditions, even if he didn't mind them, and Thrawn was perfectly content to care for him while he recovered from their day of sled riding.

"Tea? Or cider?" He offered a mug of each and a plate of gingersnap cookies to his tiny general.

"Tea, thanks." Hux snuggled into the seal skin Thrawn had wrapped about him and stuck out his pale hands to accept the steaming mug.

"Gingersnaps, too. If you care for them." Thrawn swiped the mug of cider and a handful of the cookies off of the tray and settled at the chair's foot.

"What are they?" Hux picked one up and carefully regarded it.

"A cookie. Soak them in your tea, or they'll just about break your teeth." He dipped his first gingersnap in the richly spiced cider and munched down on it.

"I've never had them." Hux carefully submerged half of the cookie in his tea.

"Really? That's awful. They're my favorite." He bit into the second.

"Thus why you're plowing through them like a bantha at fodder." Hux disapprovingly glared down.

"You're not supposed to eat gingersnaps like chocolate ganache. Going slow just lets the ginger dissipate." He didn't even slow his munching.

"Why wouldn't you want the ginger to dissipate? They seem rather... spicy." He took another bite of his own cookie.

"I'll show you." Thrawn stood up and kissed Hux full on the mouth, deep and nearly invasive in its passion.

Hux nearly dropped his tea, melting into the spice-hot kiss like butter over a saffron bun.

Thrawn lavished affection on Hux, the ginger a sweet-hot aftertaste on him.

Hux responded in kind, the ginger flavor an exciting stimulant and was disappointed when Thrawn pulled back from the kiss, eyes dancing. "See what I mean?"

He could feel the burning heat emanating from Hux and responded in kind, beginning a trail of burning kisses along his neck.


	27. Gingered Lovers

Thrawn carried Hux to bed soon after, exchanging languid kisses with every step. 

Armitage was squirming in his arms by the time they reached the master bedroom. He clung fiercely as Thrawn lowered him to the bed, clung so tightly that Thrawn wondered if he was used to being simply dropped or even thrown.

That was unacceptable. Ren would be made aware of the error of his ways at some point.

He crawled over the slimmer, younger man, and took great care to thoroughly kiss him, chasing the rest of the strong ginger flavors through his mouth.

Hux was gasping, not quite smiling, but coming to that point. The stoicism, the stress, was falling free.

Thrawn took great care to be gentle as he sheathed his saber. Hux's memories spun with pain and he clearly needed to be relaxed, or his libido would fail.

Thrawn lowered his face to Armitage's ear and began whispering poetry into its lovely shell.

It worked, slowly. Armitage's mind turned from Ren to the verses in his ears. Thrawn began to move once again, using cants of hips and corrected angles to emphasize natural breaks and emphasis in the lines.

As Mitty lay beside him, boneless, Thrawn took a moment to sort out his thoughts and feelings concerning the man. 

He was hot with righteous anger against the resistance, fiery with resentment and ambition, sweet with cornered and battered innocence, and difficult to beat around and press.

He was ginger in human form.


	28. Artistry of the Sith

In the morning, Thrawn did some further sorting. He considered his husband as the man himself lay supine beside him. He had already evaluated Hux, ensuring that their goals aligned, that they would be an efficient team.

This honeymoon was to ensure they would be good in private as well as public. It was time to show his love some artwork, allow him to experience the Dark Side’s unique culture.

Hux woke to find himself alone in bed. There was singing coming from somewhere else in the chalet, along with the sound of an organ. Perhaps a recording.

No, the voice was Thrawn’s.

Hux stood up and gathered the blanket around him like a robe. He padded out into the hall and followed the voice into the exercise room he had seen before.

Thrawn had set up a music player and an easel with a canvas already ready. It was practically blank, but covered in greyish sludge, oil paint. Thrawn himself was twisted into an odd position on the floor, something between planking and kneeling, with his foot perpendicular to his arms. He broke his melody to address Hux, “Mitty. I’m glad you’re here.”

Armitage looked around the exercise room. Thrawn had prepped it for a demonstration, it seemed, and had only been waiting for Hux to show up. “Good morning, Thrawn. What are you doing?”

“I was hoping to give you a bit of a demonstration of my cultural training, and to paint a portrait for you, if you don’t mind.”

“Should I dress, then?” Hux took in Thrawn’s exercise shorts… and nothing else. The skin tight garment covered nothing. He might as well have been naked.

“Only if you want to.” Was that the barest hint of a challenge in that?

Hux dropped the sheet. “Not particularly. I hope you don’t mean to give me an entirely grey background.” He gestured to the canvas.

Thrawn laughed and stood up. Palms outwards, he twisted his hands to the sides.

The oil paint moved as if animate. It thinned, changed color, and became a nearly entirely white scene, a flash of orange red hair against the snow, over a silver hood, fluttering behind. It was the back of Hux’s head from their sled rides the previous day.

Hux nearly took a step back in surprise. “What did you do?”

“The paint contains all of the basic colors necessary to create any scene imaginable. I manipulated them to take form in the image I chose. It’s quite simple.” He reached out and made the gesture again.

Hux blushed and looked away. It was him, again, nude and flushed to the bed while Thrawn’s hands wrapped around him. He was struck by the oddness of it, this was clearly from Thrawn’s point of view, and considered the implication. “Can you not paint yourself into the picture?”

“Can I see myself?” Thrawn retorted. “I could imagine what I look like in that position, but if I do not see myself in it, it will not come so clearly or so well. I could paint myself as I see myself in a mirror, but then you would see me in a mirror, not me.”

Hux glanced back at the purely hedonistic portraiture. “Try again.”

This time, it took a lot longer for Thrawn. He strained into the portrait, made it take shape. It became obvious why when he stepped back.

Hux nodded as he took in the slight blurring of the image. It was Thrawn curled up in front of his chair, both men eating gingersnaps and sipping hot drinks before a fire. Hux blushed as he recognized the moment. This had been right before Thrawn made the declaration about ginger dissipating and kissed him.

Thrawn panted slightly. “See? It’s not half as clear as the others.”

“I see.” Hux shook his head. "It's beautiful, but the blurring isn't my cup of tea. Something else?"

It was Hux in the bathtub this time, a strange mixture of reality and imagination that blends much more smoothly than the previous attempt. 

Armitage blushed deeply and began to regret letting his sheet fall to the floor. "Thrawn!"

Thrawn laughed and nuzzled his cheek. "One more try."

Hux in his dress uniform, circlet clutching the back of his head perfectly, a much more appropriate subject.

"Much better."

"I think I liked the bathtub better." Thrawn murmured into his ear, gently brushing his crotch against Hux's backside.

"Naughty." There was a definite hitch in Armitage's voice now. He really wanted his sheet...

Thrawn divested them both of remaining garment and shame, laying down on the sheet and relatively soft exercise mat.

He slid between Hux's thighs easily, pistoning gently across Hux's perineum and testicles.

Hux was clearly unsure of what to do, holding his thighs loose and trying to look at Thrawn.

Nerves were Hux's enemy. Thrawn gently projected out to him, guiding his thighs together and pressing them down.

Hux nodded his understanding and pressed his thighs together, groaning in pleasure as Thrawn encircled his own prick, gently bringing him to completion.

Armitage was trembling after he released into the sheet, the pearly spray slightly shiny in the fine fabric.

Thrawn came soon after. In voyeuristic curiosity, Hux dropped a hand to catch whatever came out: An almost gelatinous, loose glob that seemed to keep its shape.

"Don't play with that." Thrawn grumbled. "You'll start me up again."

Hux let it slowly slide off of his fingers. "All right. Well, now I've seen two. When do I get to see three?"

Thrawn groaned. "I wanted this honeymoon to be more than mindless fucking. To put it bluntly, fuck it: Let's set aside some time and have sex in every room of the house, starting and ending in the actual bedroom. Sound like a plan?"

Hux laughed and nodded. "Tomorrow?"

"Good idea." Thrawn kissed his shoulder.


	29. Interlude for an Aria

Thrawn had Hux on top of him on the kitchen table. They were three rooms in with seven to go, not counting closets, and Armitage was riding him hard.

He had never had such a sensitive lover before. Hux was, when aroused, afire with sensation.

It just took some doing to get him there sometimes.

"Some doing" was one of Thrawn's specialities.

They were curled up on the guest bedroom in room four when "it" happened. It being the thing that Armitage most dreaded: Thrawn with an erection, him unresponsive.

It really wasn't a big deal: Humans weren't made to erect and come over and over. Thrawn was. For some reason. He had never had this conversation with his father beyond the basics of sex and all the risks. Don't do casual sex with random strangers. "I don't want to deal with you leaking something green and prickling up like gooseflesh."

Thrawn willed his own arousal away and simply cradled Armitage in his arms for a long moment. He had just finished explaining that he was in no way disappointed with him or offended that the human couldn't match his hybrid vigor. In fact, he was a bit relieved because it gave him a chance to talk about something that he was very, very passionate about. Namely: ART!

Thrawn put on a sweet-sounding aria on the music player and launched into a long explanation of the symbolism and elegance of Sith Opera. "The thing about opera is that it's all about what's being said between the lines. For example, at the moment the singer is passionately describing a cherry tree with a vine climbing up it, but is she really talking about the tree? No, she's singing about the relationship between master and apprentice. As the vine grows up the tree, it chokes out the original and replaces it in a replica of its form. This is especially relevant..."

Armitage slipped off into a world of strange trees that had one of his officers sitting in each of them, shaking petals down and singing about long lost birds and empty nests.

Thoroughly ridiculous.


	30. Back to the Present

Hux woke to Thrawn sleeping beside him. Sitting up, he didn't recognize the bedroom for a long moment. Then, he remembered their little marathon... and how he had conked out after the third go.

Still, the Chiss seemed content to rest. Perhaps he had been feeling sex strained as well.

Thrawn shifted slightly and blinked his eyes. "Mitty? You awake?"

Hux laughed. "Do you often sit up in your sleep?"

"I've done a lot of things in my sleep. Once, I went to bed and when I woke up, the bedroom was destroyed and there were six assassins dead all around me." Thrawn yawned and stretched, laying over Hux like a bizarre blanket. "'m tired."

"Then sleep. Don't let me keep you." Hux pressed back into him, trying to turn his head to nuzzle him.

Thrawn sighed and slumped forwards harder, so that it was difficult to remain sitting up. "Let's go back to the master bedroom. I want my pillow."

Hux rolled his eyes. "Come on, then." He checked the time. "We'll need to eat in another hour or so."

"Sleep first. Then we'll have something brought to us in bed." Thrawn heaved himself to his feet gracelessly, lifting Hux over his shoulder like a sack of roots. "Come on..."

Hux laughed and smacked his shoulder. "I can walk!"

Thrawn smacked his backside. "Shh... You'll wake me up."

Hux sighed and resigned himself to being carried. At least Thrawn didn't bang him into any doorposts.

They snuggled together in the large bed and Thrawn was completely unconscious in seconds.

Hux looked down at him and felt a stab of affection. He was so trusting. Hux had every reason to kill him and here he was, practically allowing it.

But... he abstained. As problems went, an over-affectionate force user with control over himself and his emotions was better than an unstable knight with neither.

And he had the feeling Thrawn was the only one willing and able to keep him safe.


	31. Floating in the Void

Ren raged, he screamed and cried and threw things. He destroyed consoles and killed troopers. The officers of his general's ship feared him.

HIS general. Not some blue son of the long-dead Emperor's. He had claimed him. He had taken him first. HUX WAS HIS!

He screamed in rage. The worst was, Hux was still under the protection of those damnable force blocking creatures. The moment he was within range, he would toss the general down on his back and remind him of exactly whose he was.

If Thrawn didn't like that, he would think of something. Thrawn would doubtless have to return to his capitol frequently and Hux would not be able to go with him. There would always be time.

The fact that Snoke might place more value on a continued alliance over Ren's life never crossed his mind.


	32. Secrets of Biology

Armitage woke up on top of Thrawn, being cradled close to his chest. The Chiss was still snoring gently, but seemed to be on the verge of waking.

Planet sunset was beautiful. Hux sighed and watched the sun going down.

Thrawn grumbled and gently twisted them over and around. "Do you want to try something new?"

Armitage sighed and nuzzled his chest. "What are you thinking?"

Thrawn stroked his hair. "I want you to bend me over the side of the bed, and I'll show you two spots that I think you'll like knowing about."

"Are you sure you want me on top? The last time we did this, you didn't seem to enjoy it so much."

"That would be because I don't have a prostate gland and I was trying to focus on you. But I do have three other glands you should know about and what I described is the best position to stimulate all of them."

"All right." Hux frowned.

Which was how he found himself on top of Thrawn, caressing two, barely-there lumps on either side of his spine. Thrawn moaned appreciatively as he continued ministering. He sounded close and Armitage hadn't even touched his genitals.

Thrawn reached behind him and grabbed one hand. "All right... Third spot now..." He guided Hux's hand to the space over his first three vertebrae. "Right there..."

Hux bent over and began suckling at the spot, gently rubbing over it.

Thrawn bent his head back to the bed to groan. "Just like that... Please..."

Hux redoubled his efforts, laying across his back and giving attention to all three spots at once.

Thrawn moaned and jerked from pleasure, letting himself loose.

Hux continued through two of Thrawn's orgasms and collapsed on the broad back below. "I'm going to be using those a lot."

Thrawn smiled into the bed. "I would expect no less."


	33. Chapter 33

Thrawn locked himself into a meditation room in the morning after breakfast. He needed to commune with the Force and get a feel for how things were going outside of their cozy bubble.

This left Armitage to his own devices. He decided to do some more exploring in the attic. He had found a box of childhood pictures, but Thrawn had been champing at the bit to go sledding.

He picked up the first box and dug into it. Holograms, print-pictures, and even artworks. He found a few statuettes packed up into one box, but ignored them in favor of the photographs.

Thrawn had nine Ph.D.s in various disciplines, along with more than his fair share of awards from galaxy-wide competitions in swimming, running, fencing, and acrobatics as well as a few single-man winter sports. Hux picked out pictures that appeared to be highlights, receiving diplomas, and medals.

The first medal it appeared Thrawn had won was a simple bronze. Still, he held it above his head and grinned so wide that it seemed his face would split in two. A man with dark red hair held him aloft and grinned just as hard.

The next picture, Thrawn had grown tall and broad, he was almost an adult and held a handful of glittering medals, with more around his neck, like an upside-down bouquet. The man beside him was older, but still jubilant, hugging his son as hard as he could.

Then, Thrawn was full grown, with more medals than ever, but without the other man. He was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes. Perhaps the other man, almost certainly Palpatine as a Senator, had been sick, hurt... or too busy.

Thrawn's other pictures were commonplace, harmless, and there were buckets of them, but when he was about nine, the pictures just stopped.

Hux searched around futily, until he spotted a final box. He picked it up with a sense of "how silly" of course it was the last one!

The first picture was surprising to say the least. It showed a test tube with something swirling in it. "Chiss/Human DNA Ratio: 3/2 I hope this works."

The next was a developing fetus: "Subject IX still viable. Moving to the larger tank."

What appeared to be a three-year old child, submerged in water. "Subject IX continues to be viable. Continuing serum feed, and beginning tapes."

At six, smiling out of the tank: "Subject IX smiles now whenever I'm around. He watches me in the lab as well as he can. He put his hand on the tank today, like he wanted me to touch him. I hope he works out... I want to name him."

Hux smiled softly. 

At age seven, half in half out of the tank, smiling, but in pain. Hux felt a twinge of sympathy. He looked so happy to see something, but at the same time... Like he had hurt himself to do it. "He wants to get out so badly, but he's not fully developed yet. Still, he opened the tube with the Force and tried to climb out. He would have done it too, if his spinal tube hadn't pinched. I heard him whimpering and came back to the lab to see what went wrong. I couldn't help but snap a picture before putting him back to rights. I've been given permission to name him."

Not long after, hand pressed to the glass, matched by a pale hand opposite. "Thrawn Beauregard Palpatine."

At age eight, he learned to play with objects using the Force and had to be given toys and books to keep him from breaking things. He mastered reading so quickly, in spite of his lack of exposure. Then, at age nine, he was finally lifted entirely from the tank's life-giving fluids. Palpatine toweled him off while he hugged his father for the first time.

He was nine, reading college textbooks. "I'm glad I started him reading before he was out of the tank. He learns so quickly." He was ten, guiding a blind saber cat through a minefield. "Not a single one exploded." He was eleven, standing next to a table of portraits and sculptures in marble, bronze, even gold. Each had a blue and white ribbon hanging on the table. "He's so good at manipulating paint and other mediums." In a leotard, doing bakas. "He could be a dancer, if he wanted." Playing with a lightsaber. "It's mine, but he'll have his own soon." Lifting his furniture off the ground to search beneath it. "He lost his lucky coin. He couldn't reach, so he just moved the problem elsewhere." Shooting a sniper rifle blindfolded. "100% accuracy. That's my boy!"

Hux smiled and pulled out the last object. A holorecorder. He slowly snapped it on.


	34. Past Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was KIDDING!

The holo-recorder was full of works of art. Thrawn's works of art.

He slid through the first few pictures. Most were fairly normal, portraits of his father, pictures around their house, sculptures of the animals... But then there was one, extremely blurry painting that Thrawn had clearly struggled to imagine. He was in his tube, hand pressed to the glass across from Palpatine's, but it was seen from the side, both figures in profile. Thrawn was flashing a brilliant smile and Palpatine's own lips were tugging upwards.

Hux smiled in spite of himself, tears gathering in his eyes. It was a beautiful moment, in spite of the fogging effect.

The next piece was a sculpture that bore his features. It looked like Thrawn had had to guess at most of it, but it was his face in the marble. There was a note. "He said it came to him in a dream. I think he had a force vision, his first!" He was in a toga, like a pseudo classical god, and held a vine. Perhaps it had been for a competition.

His features, more or less complete, popped up again and again. "He had a dream that he was grown up and in bed with this man. A future spouse?" "He melted down his medals to cast this one. I'd have given him raw materials, but he insisted that his subject would appreciate symbols of victory." "I'm not sure what's going on here and neither is he. It looks like they're holding something, but I can't see what." "A wedding scene. He's painted it four times now, each time it changes. I think he's having conflicting visions." "This trifecta is showing a funeral. I can't bear to look at it, but he's almost obsessing over it. I'm going to destroy it after I take this holo." Hux gasped at the vision of an unchanged Thrawn kneeling beside a black casket, laying his head on its side and weeping. The open casket contained a feeble, old man with his proportions. Then, the mausoleum, ringed with flowers and Thrawn in the doorway, a hanging arrangement in his hand, looking afraid to go in. 

He shut off the holo record abruptly, shaking himself.

He became aware of Thrawn's presence behind him as the heavy tread of footsteps came to meet him.

"I still have everything I ever made of you." The Sith softly told him. "Everything except that funereal trifecta. Father... I don't know what he did with it, but I couldn't find it."

Hux sighed, trying to gather himself. "I suppose I lived a long life, if I looked that awful by the end."

"It was an extremely long life, for a human. Barely over two hundred years, if my intuition is correct. And... as far as I know, it was a happy one." Thrawn fidgeted. "I waited for you... I would have waited forever. I tried, sometimes, to be without the visions, to cut myself off from those feelings, but... I couldn't. One night, I woke up and just couldn't get back to sleep. Something had happened... Something that would change the world." He sighed and dug into a different box for a gold and silver statuette. The one Palpatine had mentioned was made from melted down medals. "When I looked at my desk and saw this, I knew. It was your conception."

Hux took the statuette from him. "And you never told me?"

"I couldn't. I didn't know where or even who you were. The Force... it's teasing, almost maliciously. I came so close, so many times, before I finally picked up a report from your First Order and found you. It was only a few months ago. I opened up negotiations with Snoke with the goal of securing you in matrimony. I wanted to let you know gently, and I've been hinting, but... well, you know everything now." He sat, cross-legged beside him and rested his head in his hand. "How are you feeling, Mitty?"

Armitage took a moment to answer. "Over-whelmed. Shocked. Confused. A bit... in awe."

Thrawn reached out and stroked the outside of his wrist. "Do you need space?"

"Yes. I think... Yes."

"Then I'll stay out of your way for a bit. Call me if you want me." He stood up, stepped back around the mess, and out.

Hux hugged the statuette and felt tears begin to well in the corners of his eyes.


	35. Spaced

Thrawn was very good at getting out of Hux's way. He never saw him over the four days that he spent thinking, crying, even throwing a fit once. He was in a bit of a mental loop, re-thinking things, struggling to make sense of what was going on.

To his surprise, Thrawn left the Ysalimiri with him for the most part, perhaps trusting that he would care for them. He would have done it anyway, watching the lizards feed was oddly soothing, though it could be difficult to do both of them at once, Snoots in his lap and Curry on the table. Besides, once he became their primary caregiver, the lizards were increasingly affectionate and even cuddly at night.

He spent the first two days looking at Thrawn's lovingly crafted artworks of him, hidden in anonymous boxes in the attic, and choosing his favorites. He did the same with Thrawn's childhood photographs. All the years they had missed of each other. His own childhood had been regimented, controlled, and organized to the minutest detail.

He smiled at Thrawn's first award for the 100 meter sprint. It was only a simple, plastoid trophy. Nothing like his piles and piles of medals: Silver, Gold, and that first, solitary bronze. He imagined that Thrawn had come in second only to alleviate suspicion that he was more than a mere athlete.

The third day, he searched through the chalet looking for him. Thrawn appeared to have vanished. It occurred to Hux that he might be moving from room to room ahead of him, but he dismissed the idea.

The fourth day, he wandered about outside the chalet, not quite ready to call him back, but wanting to see the real deal, to make sure all was well.

That night, he had his worst nightmare ever.

Ren bent over Hux, sucking at his neck and shoulders, leaving bruises that went further than skin deep. He had Hux tied down to the bed and at his mercy, coiled in an odd and uncomfortable position, with his knees up to his shoulders.

He was nothing like Thrawn. Every thrust was agony, every bite a wasp's sting.

Hux woke up sweating and hard as a rock. Grabbing Curry off of the pillow beside him, he whimpered Thrawn's name into her juxtaposed fur and scales like a litany, his voice rising to an incoherent scream.

And he still didn't come. Was he asleep? How could he be asleep? Hux buried himself in the blankets and held Curry tight enough to make her grumble indignantly.

The front door slammed, two somethings hit the sideboard with a thunk, and there was a heavy tread on the stairs. Thrawn's skin was freezing against Armitage's, but it was comforting to be enveloped in that embrace, rocked like a child, and shushed. "Shhh... I'm here now. It's all right. It's all right..."


	36. Reunion

Thrawn rocked Hux back to sleep and curled up around him and their "babies" protectively. He gently exerted the Force to steer Hux down a smooth, sloping path in his dreams instead of the rocky tumble he had experienced earlier.

For himself, he regretted going so far out into the snow to meditate. There was a blizzard going on outside and it had made travel back to the chalet more difficult than it should have been. He was glad it hadn't been worse than a nightmare. If Hux had had an accident and been crying out to him from say, the bottom of the stairs, he would have been furious with himself.

He lay awake for a long time, listening to the whistling wind outside and watching the snow fall through the window.

It was still snowing in the morning when Hux began to show the first signs of waking. Thrawn prepared a mug of ginger-spiced tea and brought it to Hux.

Hux sat up in bed, blinking gently. Thrawn arranged the pillows behind him so he could sit back and handed him the mug. "Are you all right, Mitty?"

Armitage looked around before answering. "Yes, yes, it was just a nightmare."

Thrawn sat down on the bed beside him and stroked his face. "I felt your terror clearly. There is no need to play the brave little soldier."

Armitage curled his knees slightly. "Where were you? I looked through the house for you the day before yesterday and outside yesterday."

"I went to meditate in a cave not far from here. It would have been an easy trip back, but it began snowing yesterday." He gestured to the outside world, covered over in white.

Hux nodded, sipping the tea. "Thank you. I didn't mean to drive you out of the chalet entirely, but thank you."

Thrawn lay down and snuggled into his side. "I assumed by "space" you meant solitude. Was I incorrect?"

"I would have liked to catch a glimpse of you occasionally. Just to know you still existed."

"I see. I will keep this in mind for future memorandum." Thrawn slipped an arm across his waist. "When the blizzard blows over, let's go outside and have a snowball fight."

"You'd win." Hux grumbled. "You have the Force."

"On my word of honor, I won't use it." Thrawn kissed his slightly bony hip and closed his eyes again.

"All right, then."


	37. The Great Snow Fort

When it finally stopped snowing the next morning, they had to climb out of the second story windows. "It's no big deal. The Chalet is in a lee spot, so drifts gather easily. We'll still be able to get out and the snow will melt soon." Thrawn helped him up and out onto the snow. "There we go. Should be able to stand."

"I still don't like it. What if we have to leave quickly because of an emergency?"

"If it would make you feel better." Thrawn closed his eyes and began moving his hands in slow circles. Snow blocks flew from every direction away from the chalet and towards a clearing about half a mile away. "Close your eyes. I'm building something for you."

Hux laughed and covered his face. "All right."

Thrawn was silent for a long time, presumably while he worked on whatever it was. Then, he took Hux's hand. "Let me carry you. It'll be faster."

Hux sighed, keeping his eyes shut. "All right." He extended his arms for Thrawn's neck.

Thrawn lifted him and set off at a run that made the wind sting Hux's skin. He didn't stop until their elevation had changed abruptly and he was standing in front of a thin window made of ice.

Armitage opened his eyes at last. "Where are we?"

"I had to do something with the snow, so I built you a palace." Thrawn shrugged. "I've been thinking of having my own built, but could never decide on a location or design."

Hux moved to the window and stared out. "How high up are we?"

"About four stories. This is the tallest tower." He pulled Armitage against his chest. "The walls are fortified and have plenty of places for you to ambush me. You want to have a snowball fight, so I evened the playing field. Let's have a snowball siege."

"Wouldn't that require an army?" Hux teased, taking note of the impressive fortifications.

"Two of them at least." Thrawn gestured to the window and exerted will. Two armies of ridiculous, bulbous snowmen rose from the snow. Branches snapped off of the trees about them, forming arms, and the black ice that made their expressions morphed into fierce grimaces. "Well, Emperor Mitty, do you agree to surrender your snow palace?"

Hux laughed. "NO! Back to your armies Emperor..." A nickname flew into his head, "...Beau. We fight to the last man!"

Thrawn's expression changed to one of absolute delight at the nickname. He leapt forwards and pressed his lips to Armitage's before dodging away. "On your own head be the carnage, Emperor Mitty. You will grace my bedchamber when your palace falls."

Armitage almost laughed, but kept his expression, barely. "Out with you, damned.... strumpet!"

Thrawn gave him a funny look and rolled his eyes. "I go, to return bathed in the blood of my enemies!" He rushed down the stairs and out of the walls to command his army of snowmen. 

Hux went out and was greeted by a snowman with a collar of icicles and a hat made of evergreen. The snowman saluted. "Emperor Mitty! We are under attack!"

"Acknowledged. Gather snow boulders to the catapult and create snow balls for the walls. We prepare for siege!"

The general snowman barked orders to the rest of them and they assembled lines, carrying blocks of snow and buckets of balls. Thrawn appeared to be creating siege machines outside and regimenting his snow men with a battering ram.

Hux ascended the wall and called out. "Emperor Beau! This is your last chance to leave in peace!"

Thrawn looked up at him in the blinding morning sun and called back. "Never! Victory or death!"

"So be it!" Hux called out. "Men! Take your positions!"


	38. The Battle for Emperor Mitty's Honor

Thrawn sent his first wave of snowmen up towards the gate while a brigade flanked the palace's walls. Hux responded by sending several squads of his own snowmen around to keep an eye on the others, meanwhile he oversaw the repulsion of the battering ram.

Thrawn laughed in delight, watching his husband strut on the walls. He left himself open to attack from stinging snowballs, but managed to dodge his "snipers'" barrages so far. "Snowmen, execute form V, LADDERS!"

The general snowman rushed to Hux's side. "Emperor Mitty, Emperor Beau is ordering ladders into position around the walls."

"So that is his strategy, is it? Men, take up pikes and knock their ladders down as they come!"

Thrawn bellowed to the snipers to provide cover for the snowmen on the ladders. The ladders were defeated, but ten of Mitty's valiant snowmen were knocked over as well as fifteen of Thrawn's own snowmen. 

More snowmen were flanking the palace. Mitty sent out another group to scout out what was happening.

Thrawn gave a strange cry. "BLOCKS TO THE WALLS!" Suddenly, a brigade of his snowmen charged, blocks of snow held above their heads and zig zagging to the walls. They dumped the blocks in heaps next to the wall and ran away.

Hux comprehended it suddenly. "THEY'RE BUILDING A RAMP! THROWERS, PICK THEM OFF!"

His own snipers began picking off the swarming snowmen, but the ramp continued to be built. It would soon reach the top of the wall if Armitage didn't do something. He whirled around. "RAISE THE WALL! BLOCKS TO THE WALLS! RAISE THE WALL!" Now it was a simple war of attrition. Thrawn's ramp builders vs Hux's wall builders.

Thrawn laughed and clapped his hands. "BUILDERS RETREAT!"

"WE'VE PUSHED THEM BACK! YEAH!" Hux shouted over his garrison.

One of his scouts rushed back around. "Emperor, the enemy continues to watch us from a distance. Emperor Beau appears to be splitting his forces."

"Keep an eye on him. Make preperations to repel any offense from that quadrant." Hux turned back to the main battle.

Below him, in a shelter carved out of the snow ramp, enemy snowmen were working away.

Thrawn continued to send snowmen around to the back until most of his men were there. Hux followed the battlefront and glared out at the force. "Make a move." He muttered to himself.

Suddenly, the front wall fell in. The enemy snowmen had undermined its foundations and Thrawn led his remaining men into the palace.

It was a rout! Snow blocks, pieces of snowmen, and all and sundry flew everywhere. Hux was clipped with a chunk and fell backwards over the wall.


	39. Gracing Emperor Beau's Bedchamber

Thrawn carried Hux back to the chalet and laid him in bed with ice packs to reduce swelling. He settled beside him and laid his hands on his husband's temples, calling him back to consciousness.

Hux blinked his eyes open. "...Beau?"

Thrawn smiled in relief. "I told you, you'd be gracing my bedchamber, Emperor Mitty."

"What happened?"

"You fell off the wall and hit your head. You should be fine." Thrawn assured him.

Hux nodded, laying back. "My ears are ringing."

Thrawn stroked his hair back. "Understandable. I'll make sure you're taken care of, all right?"

Hux sighed and relaxed. "Thank you, Beau."

"Hey, it was half my fault. I'm just glad you weren't standing on that area of wall when it went down. You almost didn't leave in time."

"I see. So that was why you sent so many snowmen around the back of the palace."

"A distraction." He kissed Armitage's forehead. "Now, shhh... Just rest."


	40. Back to the Madding Crowd

As their honeymoon month drew to a close, Hux became more clingy and even anxious. "Thrawn? What will happen when we go back?"

"We destroy the Resistance." Thrawn evenly replied, hugging Mitty close on the couch. "Rebuild my Father's Empire. Repel any threats. Perhaps..." He sighed and squeezed his ribs gently. 

"I mean... what will happen? Will we split up? Me to my ship, you to your capitol?"

"No." Thrawn flatly stated. "I have a surprise for you. Consider it a second wedding gift. Of course, that brat Ren will have to be with us, but I will ensure that he brings no harm to you or anyone else."

Hux nodded. "I don't mind Ren. I can handle him when his temper isn't up."

"I mind Ren." Thrawn muttered, staring off into space.

"I know you do." Hux kissed his neck, right on the sensitive spot. 

Thrawn twitched away, a breathless laugh on his voice. When he was in a sexual mood, the spots were like Hux's prostate. When he wasn't, they were just extremely ticklish.

Hux snuggled into him and rested, safe and warm.


	41. Slender Hyaline

Hux and Thrawn were en route to the Bilbringi shipyards when Ren and the Finalizer rendezvoused.

Ren was unusually edgy and insinuated to Hux that he would like to see him alone. However, Thrawn gripped Hux's shoulder and pressed him into his side. "Armitage and I are going to have dinner together at Shakura at Bilbringi as soon as we arrive. If you wish to speak about events, why don't you schedule an appointment for tomorrow?"

Curry, curled up on Hux's shoulders, made a sighing noise and curled closer to his neck. Hux, who hadn't heard the word "Shakura" before the incident was grateful. He was developing a taste for the little luxuries Thrawn enjoyed.

Ren, naturally, didn't take it well. He was probably scowling behind that mask. "Very well... Emperor."

"Ren." Thrawn's eyes followed the knight as he stomped away.

Hux reached over and brushed one finger over one of Thrawn's lower back glands. The Emperor gave a ticklish start and glared down at him humorously. "Stop it, Armitage. I'll show you my quarters."

Pelleaon handed Thrawn a datapad as he walked past. "Reports for the evening, Emperor." 

"Thank you, Captain." Thrawn opened the reports and began reading while he and Hux walked down the hall. He had completed his paperwork by the time they reached his quarters.

"I'm exhausted. Let's take a bath together." Thrawn set the datapad down on his desk.

Hux eagerly stripped off his clothes. It was a fairly large room with a wide and long bed in the corner. It looked like it would hold them both with ease. The refresher was similarly appointed with a fairly deep bath. Thrawn filled the tub with hot water and added spicy scented bubble bath to it. The foam quickly covered the tub and Thrawn slid in easily, holding his arms out to Armitage.

A few minutes later, with Thrawn submerged between his legs, licking at Hux's dusky rose clutch, Armitage muffled his moaning with a washcloth.

Thrawn re-emerged from the water and laved attention on his ears while he caught his breath before diving again. After a few repetitions, he spun Armitage around and pulled him down over him. "Ready?"

"Ready." Armitage slid gently down. He was in control.


	42. Ren's Raging

Ren thrust roughly into his fist, beating himself off was never enjoyable. He would far rather have Hux's warm, trembling body beside him.

He wondered how Thrawn used Hux. Did he gently open him up and slide in or was he every bit as rough and tumble as Ren. Did they even have sex? Thrawn didn't strike him as the type to give Hux the spanking he generally needed to get hard, perhaps they used aphrodisiacs or maybe the Chiss Emperor masturbated while he watched Hux bathe. He could see that.

He released onto the sheets and sat up in disgust. Red-headed whore.

HIS red-headed whore.

He would just have to wait and plan very carefully.


	43. Highline

Out of the bath and on their way to the promised restaurant, Thrawn suddenly took Armitage's hand and pulled him over to a viewing window. "Look."

He peered out at ships under construction and almost completed. The new fleet, commissioned in honor of their union. "What am I looking for? Oh!" Then, he saw it.

She was a massive ship, almost entirely black with steady, white lights that mimicked the stars. Great guns ran along her sides, she was almost half a length longer than the Finalizer, and her whole design was sleek and sinuous.

"That's my wedding gift to you. She's yours." Thrawn smiled. "The Slender Hyaline."

Hux pressed a hand to the glass. The Finalizer was his first love, but this ship... "She's beautiful."

"See that great gun on the bottom? That's the omnicannon. It can rotate a full 360 degrees in a minute and fires a bolt that can jump from ship to ship in a group. She's devastating. Shields and cannons to the nines, with state of the art sensor equipment and every kind of support. She can make .7 past lightspeed." Thrawn listed her stats with the love of a creator, pointing out every feature. "She has a proper cloaking system, but the light arrays provide the illusion of a star-flung background when the ship is at rest. Father and I designed her together, but I saved her for a special moment."

Hux smiled. "When do I get to take a tour?"

"After Shakura." Thrawn kissed his hair, still soft and fragrant from the bath, and took his hand again. "Come on."

Hux stole a last look back at the Hyaline. "All right, but we'll go over right after?"

Thrawn chuckled. "We will. Our luggage was taken straight over."


	44. The Hyaline

Hux and Thrawn stepped out into the hangar closest to the bridge. Thrawn's armored, emergency hangar, which was right below the bridge.

They went straight up. Thrawn showing off every feature as they passed from the speakers that played calming background noises to the floor designed to interact with imperial regulation boots and be non-slip for hurrying officers, but hazardous grounds to anyone else. Rebel invaders would have a difficult time, assuming they could get through the three feet of armor plating and subsequent interior layers of hatches and armoring. 

"After the war ends, I intend the Hyaline to be a sort of mobile capitol. She needs to be almost impervious." He tapped on the bulkhead and smiled lovingly.

"Why are you allowing Ren anywhere near it, then?" Hux frowned. "He's bound to be more trouble than he's worth."

"I have no choice. Snoke demands it and I'm not ready to break from him yet. I need to prove to the First Order that you and I are a far more effective team than Ren and Snoke. I have no desire to fight a two-front war." Thrawn explained. "Besides, with Ren and his Knights here, they are under my supervision, and I can keep harm from coming to this ship and the people on it. I have recorded permission from Snoke to throw them all in the brig if necessary."

"I would have killed for that." Hux sighed enviously.

"Snoke fears my wrath." Thrawn smiled. "He is wise to do so."

Hux nodded. He had never seen Snoke in action, but Thrawn had animated two armies of snowmen without breaking a sweat. He doubted that had been a mean feat.

He had chosen the correct husband.


	45. Hyaline's Lover

Lieutenant Mitaka and Captain Pelleaon were discussing the minutia of the bridge's design.

Thrawn bent close to Hux. "If I read your cinnamon roll and my steel hand correctly, we might have another wedding before war's end."

Hux didn't smile, but there was a lightening in his presence. "I don't begrudge them anything they share. Mitaka has had a rough enough time of it to deserve it."

Thrawn nodded, taking note of the stoic expression schooled onto his love's face. "I believe it. Are you ready to take command, Emperor Consort?"

"Ready, Emperor." Hux strode forwards. "Are all and sundry present?"

Mitaka and Pelleaon stood to attention. "Ready and awaiting your order, Emperor Consort."

Thrawn sent Hux a planet name through the Force, pressing it gently into his mind as a note into his hand.

"Then set course for Jigunna. Hyperspace speed .5."

Thrawn smiled behind Hux and nodded.

Which was Ren's cue to come up to the bridge and make one of his ridiculous demands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another rare ship joins the party!


	46. Nemesis of the Hyaline

Ren stomped into the bridge. "My knights have been turned out of one of the training rooms, Emperor."

"Indeed." Thrawn took up his datapad and scrolled through it without looking at Ren. "What were the actions directly preceeding the incident?"

"They were simply training and doing lightsaber drills-"

"Were they using the provided bokatas?" Thrawn interrupted.

"No, but-"

"Then there's really nothing to discuss, Lord Ren. There is a strict policy regarding lightsabers on my ships. Namely, no more than three at a time are allowed to be active and only in a beskad lined training room that I set aside for such use. In any other training room, the provided bokatas and other plastoid weapons are to be used." Thrawn finally looked up from the datapad to give Ren a neutral look. "The bokatas have been designed specifically to mimic the feel and weight of a lightsaber and should be entirely satisfactory. If your Knights wish to train with live weapons, you may use my beskad training room, two at a time, and work with the various simulations available as well as duel man-to-man. I have a strict training schedule that requires three hours of lightsaber practice after beta shift, but the rest of the cycle is free. Now, should the Hyaline be boarded, such a rule is rescinded in the interest of the defense of the ship, but not until such has happened. Are we understood?"

Hux internally snickered. Ren must have been severely threatened into behaving by Snoke or he would have been destroying equipment by now. It must get under his skin to be so controlled, but with Curry and Snoots on Thrawn's shoulders, what could he do?

Ren snarled beneath the helmet and deferred. "Very well. I will convey this."

"Thank you. I hope we have no problems in future." Thrawn turned away and strode across the bridge to where Hux was listening to running reports in the command chair. He placed one hand on his shoulder. Curry shimmied down the arm and to her secondary caregiver's shoulders. "Armitage, I must go and inspect a few training drills. You have the bridge."

"Thank you, Thrawn." Hux reached up to stroke Curry as she peered curiously down at his work.


	47. The Hyaline at Jigunna

Jigunna had a minor Resistance base among the populace. They had placed it very close to the museum district, making Thrawn unwilling to just barrage the spot and be done with it.

"If at all possible, I'd like to capture the Base intact. The resistance isn't known for its architecture, but it would at least be a starting point for our own operations and prisoners are useful." He pointed out.

Hux frowned. "I hate to risk my men against such a nebulous prize."

Pelleaon studied the map. "Why don't we offer covering fire against this edge of the base, where the command center appears to be located, and launch an assault on the other side. The rebels would be pushed straight towards our forces and we would rush them easily."

"Excellent idea. What does our resident Knight think?" Thrawn turned his red eyes on Ren suddenly.

Ren choked slightly. "The Knights are looking forwards to a chance to demonstrate to the Rebels why we are not to be trifled with."

"Good answer." Thrawn rolled his eyes and went back to the map.

The battle went without a hitch and none of the elegant museums were even scratched. Thrawn was fairly satisfied.


	48. Romance on the Hyaline

Hux had Curry and Snoots with him while Thrawn practiced with his lightsabers. He used one in each hand and played very well indeed.

Hux smiled at the portrait of them that his husband had made by looking at them in a mirror. He had been in civvies, a chunky sweater and a pair of long, corduroy pants, and Thrawn was dressed in his white winter wear. It was a beautiful portrait, but as with any picture that Thrawn included himself in, Thrawn was unsatisfied.

The combined Emperors and General's quarters had room for a dining room, casual and formal stateroom, luxurious refresher, a kitchen, and an art studio for Thrawn. It was tastefully decorated to Hux's minimalist approval, but appealed to Thrawn's love of elaborate touches.

The Ysalimiri enjoyed the elaborate screens that divided the kitchen from the dining room and all the opportunities for climbing the elegant antique furniture offered.

Speaking of Curry and Snoots, what were they doing? They seemed to be locked in a wrestling match.

"What are we fighting over now?" Hux picked them up as they writhed against one another and held them in separate arms as they slowly released. "We must all get along." After a moment, he thought of how he had sounded and blushed. Thrawn was rubbing off on him: He was getting to be just as batty as the Chiss.


	49. Hyaline's Power

About a week after the Hyaline's christening, she had her first naval battle. It was just a pirate gang, but the terrifying efficiency that the Hyaline immobilized and her troopers boarded the ships was an awesome feat.

Thrawn held him with one arm as they watched the pirates' ships being dismantled for scrap, cargoes of smuggled spice, tea, silks, and liquor all stowed away in the Hyaline's hold. "Would you like to see the take after we're done here?" Thrawn asked Armitage. "They might have some Corellian Brandy or something else that would appeal."

Hux nodded. "I think I would like that. Your liquor cabinet leaves something to be desired."

Thrawn snorted. "I told you, I have no taste for it. If you wish for liquors, you must acquire them yourself. I don't know the difference between the garbage that they sell in the Officer's Lounge and your fine spirits."

"And yet you can tell what vintage a bottle of Blossom wine came from with a sip and whether it was a dry or wet year." Hux rolled his eyes.

"Wine is different, Mitty." Thrawn tapped his nose.

Hux's face scrunched up and he stroked over Thrawn's ticklish spots. "Don't do that."

Thrawn laughed and took the tickling in stride. "But you're adorable when your face crumples like that."

"I don't want to be adorable!"

"You can't help it. It's what you are."

After a brief perusal of the Pirate's loot, Thrawn and Hux arranged a white silk tablecloth on the dining room table and enjoyed a meal accompanied by fine wine from Chandrila and Corellian Brandy. Thrawn had also taken a bolt of plain, white silk made fine and soft for garments. Hux had claimed a pair of silk gloves for Mitaka, whose hands always ran cold in space, and Thrawn had asked him to pick a good brandy for his Corellian captain


	50. Ren's Research

Ren read extensively late into the evenings. So far, he hadn't found much that could encourage him, but he wasn't about to stop trying.

At last, he found what he needed. It was only a matter of gathering the necessities and finding an opportunity.

He just had to watch and wait.


	51. The Hyaline's Captain

Pelleaon hummed busily to himself as he walked down the corridors. The Emperor had recently given him a bottle of a fine Corellian brandy. Surprising, because Thrawn had never held any illusions about his lack of taste where spirits were concerned. Doubtless he had asked the Emperor Consort for his held in choosing it.

Lieutenant Mitaka fell into step beside him. "You seem in a good mood, Captain." 

"Indeed. It has been a productive day, Lieutenant."

"The Emperor Consort was very pleased." Mitaka pulled a new pair of gloves more firmly over his hands.

"I imagine so. The Emperor was satisfied." Pelleaon looked down at the sweet-faced, innocent little man beside him. "Why don't you come to my stateroom, Lieutenant? We can discuss the day over a bottle of Corellian Brandy."

"That sounds wonderful, Captain." The Lieutenant easily agreed.


	52. Hyaline's Grief

Two months passed in Thrawn's methodical war, chipping at the borders carefully, keeping the expanding fleet mostly intact, and maintaining supply lines. The almost peaceful move forwards was broken by the occasional blitzkrieg attack on the Republic or Resistance.

Hux knew something was wrong when Snoots refused to eat from the bottle he was offering. "Thrawn, am I doing something wrong." 

Thrawn looked up from Curry's second bottle. The female Ysalimiri was ravenous. "No, your grip is right. Why?"

"He's not taking the bottle." Hux examined the heavy lizard. He seemed fine otherwise.

"Maybe he's not hungry." Thrawn came over from the counter, Curry squealing indignantly for her interrupted meal. "Here, feed Curry. I'll try."

Thrawn held his ancient pet gently and guided the teet between the toothless gums. "No, he's just not interested, is he? Maybe he's just not hungry." But Hux could sense Thrawn's misgivings.

"Beau? What's wrong?"

Thrawn shook his head. "The fact of the matter is that he's old, Mitty. He's going on seventy five now. That's a hundred and twenty for a human."

"Is he dying?"

Thrawn looked away. "Yes." He sighed and stroked his scales. "If he's refusing food, he doesn't have much longer."

"Oh, Thrawn... Is he suffering?"

"If I just let him starve himself, yes, he will." Thrawn raised the largely unresponsive animal to his shoulders. "I'll put him to sleep tonight."

Hux cuddled Curry. She was getting heavy. "I could do it, if you think..."

Thrawn shook his head. "I can make it so he just falls asleep and doesn't wake up."

Hux nodded. "All right."

The crew took note of their commanders' bleak mood. There was muttering and gossip. Hux tried to silence it with discipline and dignity, but it was ineffective.

Mitaka took him aside and asked if there was anything he could do.

"Carry on, Lieutenant." Hux sighed and caught himself going to pat his head. "Carry on."

Thrawn met Hux on their way back from the bridge. They exchanged glances and went in.


	53. Sorrow on the Hyaline

Thrawn laid Snoots in the bed between them and began stroking his back. Hux laid across from him and stroked Snoot's head.

The lizard gazed up at them with his wise eyes and lashed his tail once before he fell asleep. Curry, clutching the rough bark of a Baobab tree in the stateroom, gave an inquisitive squeak.

Thrawn sighed and wrapped his old pet in the towel he had been lying on. "Thank you for being here, Mitty."

"It was the least I could do." Hux sat up. "I'm sorry."

Thrawn shook his head. "It was time."


	54. Hyaline's Resurgence

On top of Snoot’s death, Curry began acting strangely. She became standoffish and less content to stay with Hux throughout the work day. Thrawn resorted to a training harness he hadn’t used since she was three.

“What’s gotten into you, girl?” He asked her as he buckled her onto Hux, affectionately stroking her head. “We need to keep Papa safe, darling, so you have to stay there.”

Hux stroked her tail. “Maybe she’s under stress.”

“Maybe she’s just being a grumpy gills.” Thrawn’s voice still lacked its usual verve and vigor. Hux turned to touch his cheek. 

Thrawn leaned into his hand briefly, but slowly slid away. 

Something had to be done.

Hux dug through his luggage and found a shockingly yellow and pink exercise suit. Of course, nothing like an aerobics class.

Mitaka and several officers signed up immediately. Other signees bowed to the pressure of having the General and Emperor-Consort inform you of a fitness class he was teaching.

Somehow, he managed to keep it from Thrawn. 

Thrawn blinked awake as Hux got up. “Mitty? It’s an hour early…”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m teaching an aerobics class before alpha shift.” Hux pulled on his exercise gear. 

Thrawn’s eyes popped wide. “Wearing that?”

“Of course. Would you like to come?”

Thrawn threw off the covers so fast that they almost snapped into the air. “Sure!”

The aerobics class was a great success. Aside from an impressive turn out, Thrawn kept sneaking peeks at Hux and it was clear he would be thinking of yellow spandex all day.

When they got back to their quarters, Thrawn tumbled Hux onto the couch as soon as Curry was safely in her tree. "How on earth did you keep an outfit that loud so secret?"

"You never asked!" Hux retorted, shifting up into his husband.

"I might have to reprimand you for keeping it so quiet." Thrawn mischieviously stated.

Hux laughed, relieved that Thrawn seemed to have snapped out of his mourning.


	55. Aquarists on the Hyaline

Thrawn was noticeably more cheerful over the next few days, though he didn't return to the aerobics class. He had enough in his schedule as it stood. Instead, he broke up his three-hours of training into two and one. "When you're out, there's not much point in being in bed." He pointed out.

At a supply stop, Thrawn brought several "engineers" on board to make some modifications to their quarters, the officers lounge, and the enlisted rec area. 

"Aquariums calm me." He explained to Mitty as they admired the new division between formal and casual staterooms. "Besides, I thought they would be nice for the crew. Having animals about is proven to keep soldiers more calm and collected and fish are easy to contain."

Mitty admired a brightly colored trigger fish. "It's hard to argue when they're so beautiful. Why wouldn't you have it in the bedroom, though?"

"Oh, we have some bettas in a three-sectioned habitat on our bedside table." Thrawn casually told him. "They're gorgeous."

Hux nodded. "I see." It was natural to require additional soothing after losing someone or something important.


	56. Birth in the Hyaline

Thrawn wandered through their quarters, looking for Curry. “Curry? Curry?” He knocked on the refresher door where he could hear his beloved taking a shower. “Mitty? Are you washing Curry in there?”

“No, haven’t seen her all day. I thought she was with you.” Hux called back.

“Where could she be?” Thrawn looked around again and heaved a sigh.

“Did you try using the Force?”

“No, not yet.” Thrawn mentally face-palmed.

“You know, for such a genius.”

“Oh, be quiet.” Thrawn mock-snarled. He reached out for his pet with the force and found her on a very high, almost inaccessible shelf. "What are you doing up there?" He stretched up to reach here and stood on a nearby chair. "Come on, girl. Good girl, come down. YOuwch!" She bit him! He fell to the floor with a thump, knocking over the chair.

But he had caught a glimpse of seven lumps in the corner while she did that. "MITTY! MITTY COME QUICK!"

Hux ran out of the shower with a towel wrapped about his waist. "What's wrong?"

"Mitty, come here. I'm going to Force lift you up there. Tell me what you see."

Hux sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, Beau."

Thrawn lifted him. "Do you see them?"

Hux was silent. "Are those... eggs?"

"Yes!" Thrawn lowered him back to the floor. "She has a clutch! Brand new little babies!" If he were anymore excited, he'd be jumping up and down.

Hux grabbed his towel and stomped off to get dressed. "I'd be more excited if you hadn't called me out naked to see this." He flung over his shoulder.

Thrawn just shrugged.


	57. Maternity on the Hyaline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you all sick of titles that include the word "Hyaline" yet?

Thrawn dropped into their quarters every hour to check on Curry and the babies. He wired up a water dish beside her shelf and strained up to tiptoes to bottlefeed her every morning.

On top of that, he spent a long time making a soft, silk bed for Curry and her litter once they hatched, and even a tiny teddy bear for each one.

Hux declared him officially insane the day before the kittens were scheduled to arrive. That was the day when he found Thrawn floating, on the bloody ceiling, just watching the eggs.

"You're going to be grandpa, not mom. Why are you acting like you're the expecting one?" Hux crossed his arms.

Thrawn shot him a glare. "I'm too young to be a grandpa, Mitty." He turned back to the eggs and steepled his fingers. "Care to join me?"

"No thanks. I like to think that the old folks home still has a few years to go."

He actually turned his head, amazing. "Mitty, are you trying to start something?"

"Why don't you tell me, grandpa?"

Thrawn rolled his eyes. "This is juvenile, Mitty."

"Would you prefer Peepaw?"

"You just made that up."

"Nope. How about Grandpappy?"

"Mitty, so help me Force, I will come down there."

"Can your creaking joints make the climb?"

Thrawn growled lightly in the back of his throat and dropped back to the floor. "You're asking for trouble, Mitty~"

"Come at me, Grandpa."


	58. Thrawn's Revenge

Thrawn wrapped himself about Hux in a deep, affectionate hug. "Oh, my beloved. Our first grandchildren. It makes me think of such beautiful times. Do you remember when we were the young and beautiful ones, frolicking in the snow and speeding on sleds?"

Hux was momentarily stunned.

"Meanwhile, now that we have grown old, our love has matured and we are of the passing generation, a flicker in eternity's eye." Thrawn scooped him up. "But worry not, dear one. Though we are no longer young, you are still the most beautiful man I have ever laid these failing eyes on."

"Huh?"

"Oh, does age addle your senses, my darling? Nevermind for I love you still, though you do not even know me. The crosses we bear. What would we do without our sweet grandchildren and daughter at our age?"

"Thrawn, put me down!"

"But can these trembling, weakened limbs hold you, my love? They seem likely to let you fall. Let me take you to bed and bring chamomile to soothe those edged nerves."

"I'll show you, trembling limbs!"

"The agony of bitter age makes these sweet lips fling bitters, but your kisses, though less passionate than before, still hold all the sweetness one could ever wish to taste."

"Thrawn!"

"My name grows ever dearer to me in these declining years, as does yours. While memories fade to sepia tones, your name still shines with all the brilliance of your copper-bright hair."

"THRAWN!"

They collapsed into bed laughing, the Ysalimiri eggs as far from both their minds as possible.


	59. Curry's Clutch

Armitage woke up in the middle of the night to squeaking. He sat up in the empty bed and looked around slowly. "Thrawn?"

"I'm in the main room." Thrawn called back gently. "Try not to startle them."

Thrawn had arranged several items about himself: A bowl of water, a pile of soft cloths, and the silk bed. He was systematically cleaning kittens as they hatched from the eggs. "Be very quiet. They're not ready to see lots of people yet."

Hux sat down in a chair across from Thrawn and watched as he gently put his hand up on the shelf to retrieve the newest kitten. A slimy, albumen-coated thing, not particularly charming. Still, Thrawn handled it as if it were a fine china cup, gently wiping its scales and fur and laying it beside its litter mates.

Hux watched with mixed disgust and awe. All seven had survived. Curry was being very calm about the whole process and laid in the silk bed quite readily when her seven were all arranged. For a long moment, Thrawn just stared. Then, he beckoned Hux forwards.

Hux came gently forwards and knelt beside him. Thrawn laced his arm around him and kissed his hair. "Congratulations, Grandfather."

"Same to you, Grandpa."


	60. Kittens are a Handful

Curry downright refused to leave their quarters with new kittens and Thrawn was on her side. "She needs to be with the babies, especially during the first year. Don't worry over-much, Mitty. We'll be near Myrkyr soon. We'll find another young male there and I'll help shoulder-train him for you."

Hux still felt vulnerable without the female Ysalimiri. Ren had taken to lurking about the bridge now that she was gone and Thrawn's duties took him all over the ship.

Finally, Hux finished his shift and began heading back to Thrawn's quarters. Ren followed him into the turbolift. "General."

"Lord Ren." Hux held up his datapad as a sort of shield. He could feel Ren's presence on the surface of his mind and he filled his thoughts with numbers and recquisitions.

Where was Thrawn? How difficult would it be to reach him? He wanted to feel the Chiss' smoothly gloved hand slip into his and the weight of his concern and comfort...

Hux gasped when Ren moved, pressing him into the wall. "You've forgotten me."

"Ren!" He attempted to struggle.

"You've forgotten whose you are."

"I think we've been over this. I don't belong to you. I don't belong to anyone."

"Really? Why are you constantly thinking of him, then? Why does he- Arrgh!" Ren stumbled back, clutching his head. The turbolift stopped and the doors opened prematurely. 

Ren's voice twisted into a different accent when he spoke next. "Run, Mitty!"

Hux didn't question it. He ran.


	61. Thrawn's Concern

Hux didn't stop running until he was safely back under the umbrella that Curry put forth.

Ren would probably survive Thrawn's punishment, but he would never forget it.

He sat down beside the bed where Curry's week-old kittens were mewling. Their mother was above them in the Baobab tree. Hux gently pulled her down and cuddled her while he waited for Thrawn.

Said blue Chiss came back in a towering rage and checked Hux over for injuries twice before he curled up at his side, growling slightly. He looked furious with himself.

"Did you kill him?" Hux asked finally.

"No. But he'll be out of commission for at least a week." Thrawn replied, pulling his limbs closer around himself. "When I finished, he couldn't stand."

"Good." Hux stared at the far wall. "What are we going to do now?"

"I want you to take leave and stay in our quarters until we reach Myrkyr." Thrawn shook his head. "I'm sorry. This is my fault."

Hux shook his head. "Don't blame yourself. It's Ren's fault, no one else's."

Thrawn still brooded half the night.


	62. Thrawn's Assault

Ren lay on his side, clutching his head. Thrawn's attack had established a new respect for the Force User in his mind.

It had been sudden. Seemingly the moment Thrawn had picked up on Hux's distress, he had stabbed directly through Ren's shields and warped his body against itself. He had forced Ren to batter himself against the walls and floors of the turbolift until bones broke and blood flowed. All the while, he projected a screaming litany: LEAVE MY HUSBAND ALONE! YOU BASTARD! YOU'RE NOT WORTHY OF VADER! and various other insults and commands.

He couldn't even sit up, his diaphragm hurt so badly.

Why had Hux resisted? He never had before Thrawn. Could it be that he truly felt a strong, monogamous love for the Chiss?

The Sith had to go.


	63. Myrkyr

Thrawn and Hux disembarked in the Northern hemisphere of the planet Myrkyr. Thrawn knew his way about the forest fairly well, but warned Hux, "Stay close to the ship. There are predators here that can rip men to shreds." He looked around. "There should be a tree nearby."

Hux picked his way among the thick roots. "Where?"

"This way." Thrawn took his hand. "My father and I were in this area to get Snoots, then I came back later to find Curry." He looked over his shoulder at Hux and smiled. "I've been trying to get them to breed for years. I'd given up."

Hux shook his head. "And I thought they were fighting."

"Hmm?"

"Oh, I saw them... well, they looked like they were wrestling, but..."

"I see. Right in front of their Papa. Shameless." He smirked and continued. "Almost there..."

Hux nearly ran into Thrawn's back as they came out into a clearing. "What is it?"

Thrawn sighed. "Nothing. It's just... We're here. And I could have sworn I saw my father below the tree. I got lost in the forest on my first trip here and he waited for me to find him."

Hux moved around Thrawn to look into the clearing. There was a massive, soaring tree in the middle of it, with a canopy that spanned fifty feet. "How are we going to get up there?"

Thrawn smiled. "Get on my back."

Hux stared at him. "You can't be serious."

"Perfectly. Come on, hop up." He bent to lift Hux into a pickaback carry.

Hux sighed and looked away. "Fine."

Thrawn carried Hux up to the canopy and set him in a fork. "There. You should be able to manage from here."

"I'm surprised my ears didn't pop." Hux looked down. "All right, now we're here. What are we looking for?"

"Well..." Thrawn looked around at the branches. "Let's see what we have to pick between."


	64. Philos

Hux carefully shifted out onto the limb, approaching one of the lazy creatures. He lifted it gently, taking care to maintain his balance. "What about this one?"

"That's female."

"This one?"

"Too old."

"This one?"

"Too young."

"This one? OWCH!"

"For obvious reasons, no."

"Very funny." Hux climbed a little higher, looking at a caramel-colored Ysalimiri with deep, intelligent eyes.

Thrawn was stroking an older kitten above him. "What did you find?"

"I think I like this one." Hux picked it up and gently cradled it. "He's nice."

"Good. That looks like a nice one." Thrawn began climbing down. He examined the Ysalimiri more carefully. "He's particularly docile. A gorgeous color. Strong... Perfect! Harness him to your shoulders and let's go."

Hux carefully maneuvered the lizard onto his shoulders. "There we are. Let's get out of this tree."


	65. Shoulder Training

Hux wrestled Philos into his shoulder-strap harness. "Come on, you silly lizard!"

Thrawn rolled over, grumbling. "You're not doing it right, here." He carefully closed the harness and lifted the lizard onto him. "Now he'll be perfectly comfortable."

Hux considered for a moment. "Thrawn, what are we going to do about Ren?"

"Eventually, he's going to die. For now, I need Snoke to be in a lull."

"I see. So we wait."

"Exactly. Now go out there and knock 'em dead." Thrawn kissed his cheek.


	66. Starkiller

They were having their first fight.

"Starkiller is my magnum opus, Thrawn! We've been planning it for years."

Thrawn glared. "Armitage, normally I'd welcome new ideas, but all this is is another Death Star and look how those worked out!"

Armitage stabbed a finger into the plans. "I took all weaknesses into account!"

"But all it does is destroy planets! It's not even creative!"

"The power to end planets would be a pivotal lever in the destruction of the Republic!"

"We are attempting to conquer lands, not destroy them! Burning the fields just means that you can't use them either!"

"Thrawn, this has been in my plans for decades!"

"Well I refuse to allow it, and that's final!"

For the first time since the honeymoon, one of them slept away from their bed.


	67. The Horror of War

Thrawn gently put a hand on Armitage's shoulder and shook him awake. "Mitty? Can I talk to you?"

Mitty rolled away from him. "I'm not done being angry at you."

"Can I at least try to explain?"

He was silent for a moment. "Fine."

"Take my hand."

He shot him a strange look.

"Please?"

At last, he gave in, taking the digits in his own.

Thrawn pulled them away through space and time.


	68. Dream Walking

Thrawn pulled Hux away from the physical world of their bedroom and to a mental world of memory.

They were walking across a desolate countryside covered in burnt trees and the empty shells of cottages.

"Where are we?"

"Iridonia. A once-thriving world."

"What happened?"

"War."

"And no one restored it?"

"War is still ongoing, Mitty. No one has time or resources."

Armitage drew closer. "Surely there aren't any inhabitants..."

"There is a fairly large population, living on the edge of survival. We send supplies to them when we can."

"Oh..."

"And now somewhere else less retrievable."

They were walking along a market place. It was beautiful: Sunny, children everywhere, birds singing...

Then, a green flash lit the sky... And everything was gone.


	69. Aftercare

Armitage woke up clutching Thrawn to him and sobbing in terror.

Thrawn patted his back. "Shh... Shhh... It's okay, Mitty. You're here. You're safe."

"It was awful!" He choked. "I saw it coming!"

"We were standing right on the impact point. It was much more surprising from other parts of the planet."

He sobbed harder. 

"Shh..."

Hux hit his shoulder. "I hate it when you're right."

Thrawn enveloped him and pressed his lips to his hair. "I know."


	70. Ganged Up

The New Republic and the Resistance surrounded the Hyaline over Geragu.

They were entirely outnumbered and not even the mighty Omni-cannon could blast their way out of this one.

Thrawn looked around at the sheer volume of ships. "I think I can get us out, but I'd need complete command of the ship."

"It's yours." Hux looked around. "What are you going to do?"

There was the crush of breaking glass and a minor explosion. He whirled back to find Thrawn with his fist buried in the Hyaline's command console. "Clear the bridge. Electricity is about to start flying and I can't guarantee anyone's safety."

Hux whirled. "Clear the bridge!" The order was quickly followed.

Thrawn was being surrounded by cables, stretching out of other consoles. "You too, Mitty."

Hux stood in front of him. "You'll be fine, won't you? You'll live through this?"

"I'll do my utmost. Now go, Mitty."

Armitage took Curry from about Thrawn's neck. "Take our little ones and get out of here."

Armitage dashed forwards to press a kiss to his cheek. Thrawn caught his lips, sucking gently. "Thank you, my love. Now go, Mitty, go!"

Armitage left without a second glance.


	71. Escape

Things were tense. Under Thrawn's guidance, the Hyaline performed like nothing else, but she was still taking heavy fire. Thrawn was clearly attempting to blast a path for them out from the ambush.

At last, they were in the clear, and running in hyperspace.

And still THE BRIDGE WAS SEALED!

Hux ordered all sensitive and mobile equipment to be prepared for immediate evacuation. He could read the writing on the wall: The Hyaline wasn't long for the world.

Finally, Thrawn's voice echoed over the speaker system. "All units, report for immediate evacuation upon drop from hyperspace. Approximately: Three hours from now. General Hux to the bridge."

Hux rushed to the doubled doors and they admitted him. The bridge was destroyed: Wires all about, cables nesting about the Chiss lying in the middle.

Hux knelt beside him. "Beau."

Thrawn, raked with electric burns, smiled. "Mitty..."


	72. Medical Leave

Mitty stroked the still-whole parts of Thrawn's face. "We need to get you off this ship and to some medical help at once."

Thrawn took his hand in one of his own and squeezed it. "Not yet, Mitty. I'm- I'm holding her together by the skin of my teeth. As soon as everyone is off the ship, I'm going to let go and she's going to start falling to pieces. I need you here to make sure I get off safely." He weakly pressed his lightsaber into Mitty's hand. "Do you remember? We're right above my private hangar. Just cut straight through."

Mitty nodded and sparked up the blade, beginning his cutting.

Finally, the black shuttle's top hatch was revealed. He returned to Thrawn's side. "Beau? Are you with me?"

Thrawn rolled his eyes over to look at him. "I'm here, Mitty."

"I have xit cut. What else do you need?"

"I need you to stay with me, please... Hold my hand or something."

Armitage examined his burns and scratches. "How about some basic first aid while we're waiting?"

Thrawn's mouth twitched slightly. "That would be nice."

Armitage got the kit and went to work.


	73. The Call

Mitaka's message that the Hyaline was completely evacuated finally came through. Mitty put on an exosuit and began the slow, painful process of getting Thrawn to his shuttle. He was no wimp, but man! What was Thrawn? Three hundred pounds all muscle?

He accidentally dropped him the last few feet, but luckily Thrawn caught himself, barely. He gave Mitty a slightly reproachful look.

"Sorry. You're not exactly being much help here." Mitty dropped down beside him and pulled him down through the hatch. As soon as he was wrapped in a shock blanket to wait, Mitty took them out. He looked back as they approached the planet, watching the Hyaline crumble like a palace of dreams. The beautiful ship, all her deadly lines and strong curves, would never fly again.

He went back to tend Thrawn further, only to find that he had fallen asleep and would not rouse. He didn't blame him. It must be exhausting holding an entire ship together.


End file.
